Arranged Hearts
by greyeyedrune
Summary: Inuyasha is a rich lord's son, and Kagome is a nobleman's daughter. Because of their positions, they are forced to participate in a festival designed to help the wealthy find matches. Think Feudal speed-dating. Neither one is happy about it, but it may end up being an experience that they'll both remember.
1. Chapter 1

Inuyasha looked up uninterestedly as a beautiful woman entered his tent. She was plucked, powdered, perfumed and prepared to perfection. She gave him a demure smile as she pulled the tent flap shut behind her, then knelt gracefully in front of him, waiting for him to speak.

"So listen," he said, crossing his arms. "I could not possibly care less about this or you. Please do us both a favor and shut the hell up until the bell rings and I'm rid of you. That'd be great."

The woman's smile did not falter, but it got considerably more strained. "Excuse me?" she said meekly. "Is this a test?"

"Nope! Not a test. Shut up."

"But...

Inuyasha unfolded his arms and leaned forward, narrowing his eyes. "Were you raised to talk back?"

The woman blushed, looked down, and shook her head forlornly.

"Great!" he said, leaning back again. "Shut the hell up." The next several minutes passed in awkward silence, broken only occasionally by the sniffling the girl was clearly trying to suppress. Right before the end of the hour, Inuyasha passed her a handkerchief, then immediately regretted it because of the hope and excitement that sprang into her eyes.

"Just wipe it up for the other men and get the hell out!" he shouted. This could not be over quickly enough. She hastily dabbed her eyes and passed the cloth back, rising as the bell chimed.

Inuyasha rubbed his temples and closed his eyes. He heard the tent flap rustle once as one girl left, then all too soon again as another one entered. He didn't even want to look up.

"So listen," he said, still rubbing his temples. "I could not possibly care less about this or you..."

"Really!?" Inuyasha opened his eyes, startled by the excitement in this new girl's voice. He saw her blushing and clapping her hand over her mouth. She was beautiful, like the rest, but there was something not quite polished about her. She was clearly shy about her outburst, but it didn't take long before she mumbled behind her hand, "Did you really mean that?"

"Yes. This is a stupid way to find a wife. I don't even want a wife."

"That's great! I don't want a husband. Do you mind if I take this off for a second, then? It's killing me." Inuyasha watched in astonishment as the woman removed her ornate hairdo from her head. Her real hair cascaded around her shoulders softly.

"I didn't even know those were fake..." Inuyasha gaped.

"Made by the finest craftsmen! Can you imagine spending your life arranging fake hair so that stuck-up girls can trick a man into marrying them for their braid potential? And they are not cheap. Worse, they are hot, heavy, and very uncomfortable. Wanna try?"

"I'll pass, but thanks."

"I don't blame you," she smiled, casually kicking off her shoes as well. Then she leaned back on her arms and sighed. "Oh, that's so much better."

"Are the other girls this... normal?"

"Nope. They act like that even when no one is watching. They probably even go to the bathroom with perfect posture."

Inuyasha laughed in spite of himself.

"What's your name?" he asked. It was the first time that day he had bothered.

"Kagome," she answered. "And you are Inuyasha of the Western lands, prize of this festival. The girls must be terribly disappointed that you don't actually care about it."

"Yeah, they cry a lot..." Inuyasha responded guiltily.

"So why are you here? You like breaking hearts?"

"No! My parents said they'd get me a new sword if I sat through the whole thing."

"Ah."

"What about you?"

"My parents bribed me, too."

"With what?"

"Freedom. I don't just have to sit through the festival, though. I have to get a guy to request me when it's done, and then go through the whole trial period. If he still wants to marry me when that's over, then my parents will acknowledge that I'm capable of getting a guy on my own and they'll stop arranging matches for me that I'm forced to ruin."

"You ruin your matches? How?"

"You know. Humiliating the men I'm matched with?"

"What do you do to them?"

"I challenge them to an archery contest and beat them soundly. Then they leave in shame. It's really costing my parents a lot of powerful friends. But that's what they get for making me marry ancient or hairy or misogynistic men."

"Wow." Inuyasha was impressed.

"Yeah. But that's a lot easier to do than this. Since I'm actually trying to attract these guys I have to act all prim and proper like I'm supposed to now. It's horrible."

"I'll bet. Is it working, though?"

Kagome shrugged. "We'll see at the ceremony. But if the leering is any indication, I would say yes."

For some reason, picturing men leering at Kagome bothered Inuyasha. She shouldn't have to be here...

"Wait, what are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm putting the headdress back on. It's almost time."

"Already?" The other sessions had passed so much more slowly.

"Yeah. Could you help me with this? I have to look presentable, you know."

Inuyasha obligingly leaned forward and smoothed Kagome's hair back into her wig. It was soft and silky. "There," he said finally. "You look perfect."

She smiled and winked, then rose as the bell chimed. "Goodbye, Inuyasha," she said. "And good luck." The tent flap closed, making the tent feel suddenly empty.

Moments later another girl entered, smiled and knelt before him.

"Hey," he said. "I'm Inuyasha. Tell me about yourself. What are your hobbies?"

"I love brushing my hair, getting my make-up done, smiling for crowds..."

"Nevermind. Shut up."

"What?"

"Just shut up."

"There's... nothing else you want to ask me?"

"Nope. Wait, yes. ...is your hair real?"

A/N: So I'm accidentally writing multiple stories at one time now. The one with the most reviews next time I'm in the mood to write will get another chapter published, so if you want this one, then you'd better say so. :)


	2. Chapter 2

Kagome sat uncomfortably and strained to keep the practiced smile on her face. The man seated in front of her, like many of the men before him, based his decision on whether to request her on physique alone. He had pretended to be interested in her personality for two or three terse questions, and then his inquiries turned to her measurements, whether she had any scars or moles, and how well her mother had aged. Now he was just staring at her. When he got up to circle her slowly, she took a moment to self-indulgently roll her eyes as soon as they were out of his scrutinizing gaze. Finally he sat down again.

"Very nice. I'll give you an eight and a half," he stated, marking the number down on a scroll he was keeping for reference.

"I'm so glad that what you see pleases you," Kagome replied, trying very hard to keep the sarcasm out of her tone. She had never felt more like a commodity in her life.

She rose as the bell rang, just like she had in every previous interview. But this, finally, was the last one. She could go back to the women's tent and await her fate. Granted, it wasn't much of a refuge with all the other excited and nervous girls squealing and gushing endlessly around her, but at least no one would be trying to picture her naked.

She removed her headdress again as soon as she was safely inside the cloth haven. She wanted to throw it on the ground and kick it, too, but she bravely resisted.

"Lady Kagome! Why is your head bare!?" shrieked a girl who entered seconds after her. Her hands were clutching her face in horror.

"The headdress is, uh... it's haunted. It moved on its own. Unlike yours, mine is made of real hair, carefully cut from the head of a princess as she lay on her deathbed. It's very rare. Only now the ghost of that princess clings to the hair, desperately trying to reunite with its body so that the two can rest together in peace forever. I'd let it, but, obviously, I need to entice a man. So tough luck for the wig! Occasionally it gets away from me, though. You know how these things go."

After that, no one talked to Kagome much, which was exactly how she liked it.

When the time came, she reluctantly and carelessly plopped the wretched thing back on her head, halfheartedly shoved some of her hanging hair back into it, and went to watch the auction. She was sure she looked dreadful, but she was also sure that she didn't care at this point. The women were supposed to be out of sight in the tent until the results were announced, but Kagome wasn't one to sit patiently. She crept up behind the mass of men milling around and, as subtly as she could in a dress and bare feet (because her shoes were awful), climbed a nearby tree to observe the proceedings. It had enough low-hanging branches that it wasn't too difficult, and once she was up, the foliage was thick enough to hide her. She quickly scanned the crowd to see if anyone had noticed the feat, but they were as oblivious as the women back in the tent were when she left. So she settled back smugly.

Soon an important-looking man stepped in front of everyone else and commanded their silence and attention. He quickly explained the rules: auctioneer says name, men bid, highest bid gets girl. Then the man gets to take the girl home for a trial period, and at the end of it, if both families agree, the two get engaged. Fairly straightforward.

He started to list the names. Most girls got at least a bid or two. One particularly beautiful girl got twelve. Kagome noticed the last man she had interviewed with angrily crossing her name off of the top of his list when he lost the battle. As more and more names droned on, Kagome idly observed the men, tried to recall if there was anything unique about her interview with them, and then tried to picture what life with them would be like if they were the one to take her home. Most of the pictures were mind-numbingly boring or intensely uncomfortable. Then she saw Inuyasha.

She chuckled, because he looked as bored as she was. She was glad that he would be able to get out of all this soon. At least one of them would be happy. And after the relaxing break he had given her in the middle of all this chaos, she was truly grateful to him and wished him well. She tried to send him some good chi to pass the time.

Then she heard her name. Before she could even wince or say a prayer, two or three bids went up immediately. Kagome was surprised. She studied the bidders and noticed with dread that all of them were leerers. Just great. Since she was already watching Inuyasha, she looked to see what his reaction was. Curiously, he seemed to be upset and bewildered and not at all as withdrawn and bored as he had been a second ago. The bidding started to wind down to two particularly zealous participants. One was the man she had interviewed with last, and one was an overweight and piggish-looking man who was old enough to be her father. She remembered that he had spent more time talking about himself than asking her questions. Either way this went, it looked like it was going to be a very long trial period.

Then, suddenly, Inuyasha put in a bid. Kagome sat up straighter in shock and almost fell out of the tree. She had thought he wasn't going to bid on anyone. Apparently, that's what everyone else thought, too, because the crowd started to murmur. Inuyasha stubbornly refused to look at anyone but the auctioneer. After a couple of seconds, the bidding resumed, and the three duked it out. The one who had deemed her an eight and a half dropped out first, disappointedly crossing her name from his list as well. It took a little longer, but eventually Mr. Pig dropped out, too.

When the auctioneer declared the betting finished in favor of Inuyasha, Kagome actually clapped her hands in delight. He must have had compassion on her. The other men made her feel like a piece of meat, but now, for the first time, Kagome felt understood and cared about in at least a basic human way. It was a really, really good feeling.

A/N: Hey guys. I wrote you another chapter because currently this story is in the lead, but that's really only because I updated the other two ahead of it in the last couple of days and they haven't had time yet to gain as many reviews. I'm sad to say that this one is not the favorite. But it's not to late to change that... if you want me to continue, then review!


	3. Chapter 3

For the ninth time, Inuyasha questioned his decision. He had been so close to getting out of this crazy festival and back to his normal life, and then he had to go and be a hero. Now he was stuck with a girl he barely knew. But then, yet again, he thought of the final two men who were bidding on her and knew he couldn't leave her alone. Not her. Sighing, he stepped forward in line to sign a promise of payment. That done, he at last accepted the ticket that he could exchange for his prize. Kagome.

Figuring the rest of the men had paid attention during orientation and knew where they should be going to make said exchange, he tried to follow the general direction of the milling. Everyone seemed more intent on boasting and comparing than actually getting where they needed to be, though. Maybe the exchange didn't happen until later?

Suddenly, Inuyasha was pulled into one of the nearby interview tents. Before he could strike a fighting pose or utter any kind of exclamation of surprise, he found himself crushed into an eager hug.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Oh." It was her. "You're welcome. Wait, why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be at... somewhere else?"

"It was boring there," she said, pulling away. He noticed her hair cascading freely around her face, and thought, once again, that it looked much better that way.

"Where's your braid hat?" he asked.

"I left it in a tree, because I figured you wouldn't care and maybe this way some birds can make a nice nest out of it. And then they will love it as much as I hate it. I don't anticipate ever needing it again, since you've assured my freedom. Have I said thank you, by the way?"

Inuyasha smiled, his doubt quickly waning. "I think you may have. So do I have to check you out of something? Or can we just go? Because I'd really like to go."

"You promised to pay. You got the ticket. Everything else is just formality, really. Wave the ticket at the mistress as we walk by her and it will be fine."

"Well then, Lady Kagome. I think it's time you met my parents."

He escorted her out of the tent and through the grounds, noticing several shocked faces. When they passed what he assumed must be the holding place for the women, because several of them were spilling out of it, there was a collective gasp. He remembered guiltily that Kagome had called him the prize of the festival and wondered whether she would have to deal with the other girls' jealousy now. When he looked at her, though, she seemed perfectly oblivious, so he shrugged it off. One of the women was older and more ceremoniously dressed than the others. He waved the ticket at her as Kagome suggested and she gaped at it, then scrambled to mark it off of her list. He chuckled at her. This was actually a little fun.

Finally, they arrived at his parents' coach. They were likely waiting inside. He released Kagome's arm and knocked. It swung open quickly, almost bashing Kagome in the face, but she hastily took a step back and to the side to avoid it.

It was his father, looking extremely eager. But his face dropped when he saw his son.

"It's him. He's back alone."

"And I was so sure he'd find a nice girl..." his mother sighed from deeper in the coach.

"We thought you might be a runner with a bio on the girl you picked. But it's just you. Well... come in."

"You don't need a bio," Inuyasha said, starting to get annoyed with their clear disapproval. "She's right here." And with that, he pulled Kagome back around the door.

"Hi!" she said cheerfully, giving a small wave.

There was silence for a full five seconds. Then both his father and his mother tried desperately to scramble out of the coach, and of course got comically stuck in the doorway.

"Move!" His mother shrieked "I'm a woman and I deserve to be the first to greet the only other woman who ever has and possibly ever will live with us."

"If they get married, then it's MY name she'll bear! I should be first!"

"Oh please! Inuyasha will screw it up before then! Let me have my girl time while I can!"

"No! She could be the mother of my heir!"

"DAMN IT I NEED MY GIRL TIME!"

As his fully grown, usually decently rational parents continued to flail and scream at each other, Inuyasha nervously looked at Kagome to see her reaction. At the same time, she looked at him. He couldn't quite read her expression, and suddenly very much wished he could. Was she completely repulsed?

Someone cleared their throat very loudly nearby and all four heads snapping the the direction of the offender.

"Er..." he said, clearly overwhelmed by the attention and still not completely at peace with the scene he had just witnessed. "Lady Kagome's bio." He held a scroll out and Inuyasha's mother snatched it immediately and retreated into the belly of the carriage. His father, now free, bounded down the steps and shook Kagome's hand enthusiastically.

"Welcome to the family!" he said.

"Um." Kagome looked to him for guidance.

"Dad, it's not exactly what you think..."

"Doesn't matter! It will end up that way if I have to die making it so. Come in, come in!" And with that he yanked Kagome into the coach, plopping her down on the velvet bench across from theirs and sitting next to his wife.

"Hello dear!" said wife chirped brightly before returning to her reading. Inuyasha reluctantly got in behind them and sat next to Kagome, shooting her an apologetic look.

"Well! Don't you too look fine together! Izayoi, don't they look fine together?"

"Yes, quite splendid. Dear, is it true that you can cross-stitch a hundred roses an hour?"

"No," Kagome said frankly.

"Thank heavens. That sounds like an incredibly useless skill."

Inuyasha shut the door and signaled to the driver that they should get going. The enclosed space was suddenly feeling very small and overwhelming and he wanted to get home as soon as possible.

Too bad it was a three hour drive.

A/N: See, now I just don't know where you all are coming from. This story went from third to tied for first, while the one that was formerly first has sunk to dead last. So congratulations! You've brought this back to life. If you want it to stay alive, then you know what to do. And personally, I hope this one does because a favorite, because it's by far my goofiest and I'm really enjoying it. I hope you guys do, too. :)


	4. Chapter 4

"Ok, so now you and the murderer have decided on a time and place to duel to the death and you've readied your weapons. What would you wear?"

"Red. And boots."

The questions had started out simple. 'What's your favorite color' and so forth. But as the ride went on, the interrogation got increasingly specific and bizarre. At first, when they took a turn for the crazy, Kagome had responded hesitantly. To the question 'How quickly can you drink three glasses of water with a room full of people staring at you?' she had responded 'Um... fairly quickly, I guess? Faster than average if the situation required it?' But at this point in the ride, she had gained confidence and was having fun.

"Alright, new scenario. Suppose that everyone in the castle went feral and Izayoi and the other humans fled. How would you deal with that situation?"

"I have some minimal miko powers, so I can put enough of a holding spell into an arrow to keep a feral demon pinned but not seriously injure him or her. I'd go on a little hunt, shoot each of you into a wall somewhere in the castle, and then live happily in your home until I die or you become unferal, whichever happens first. Occasionally I would walk by each of you to stick my tongue out, do some cartwheels, and engage in other sorts of mocking activities. Just to pass the time."

Surprisingly, this answer, as well as every answer she had given before it, pleased the parents greatly.

"I wouldn't flee, then." Izayoi said. "I'd wait until you took care of it and then you and I could live there together. And we'd have girl time every single day!"

Kagome smiled warmly. She couldn't help it when so much approval was constantly heaped on her. It was much better than her parents' incessant nagging.

"Oh dear... we're home already?"

"We are? That went by much too quickly."

"Seemed pretty freaking long to me!" Inuyasha interjected, for the first time in hours.

"Hush dear, no one asked you," Izayoi said flippantly. Then she brightened. "Well at least now I can show Kagome her room!"

"You have a room ready already? But I told you I wasn't going to bring anyone home! How did you know?"

"I didn't, dear. But I hoped. I dreamed..."

The carriage pulled to a stop and a servant came around to open the door. Inuyasha and his father exited first, then offered hands to their respective women. Inuyasha rolled his eyes a bit when he did it, but completed the gentlemanly gesture fluidly nonetheless.

Kagome looked for the first time at the castle she would be calling home. It was, of course, huge. But it was also beautiful. The stonework was intricate and ornate and it was accented with several soaring towers. She liked it a lot.

She didn't have long to admire it, though, before Inuyasha's overenthusiastic mother grabbed her and started sprinting inside. Kagome was totally taken aback at first, but then reveled in the fact that running like this was allowed for women here. She even took a risk by hiking up her skirts to run faster, and it felt good to let the air rushing past her caress her legs.

Very suddenly, Izayoi stopped running in front of a door, and Kagome barely had enough self control to skid around her instead of into her.

"Ok..." panted the exhausted woman. "So I wanted to... steal you away for a second... to say thank you... for coming. You don't know... what it means. And also... I hope you marry him. Though of course... I understand... if you don't. I mean... I wouldn't."

Kagome choked out a laugh, breathing just as hard as Izayoi was. She'd been exercising a lot less since she started taking her etiquette lessons seriously in preparation for the festival. "Thanks for having me," she smiled finally.

"Of course... And... here's your room."

Kagome stepped forward, pushed open the door and entered, expecting an explosion of ribbons and frills from this woman who was obsessed with femininity. In fact, it was very tastefully decorated in tones of mauve and dark purple. There was a bed and rugs and a wardrobe for her clothes, but they were all fairly simple and elegant. The whole thing was very normal. Except for...

"Is that a hotspring!?"

"I thought we could take baths together and talk about boys," the excited mother giggled.

"Um..." And she was back to not knowing how to respond. Luckily, at that moment, Inuyasha came running up, annoyingly not out of breath at all.

"Mom! What are you doing?"

"Just showing Kagome her room, dear. Why don't you go in and see it, too?"

Inuyasha warily did so. "Is that a hotspring!?"

Instead of answering, Izayoi slammed the door behind him and clicked the lock. "Have fun, you two! Someone will bring dinner around soon and we'll probably let you out when it's time to go to sleep. Until then, get to know each other! And Inuyasha, if you mess this up I swear I will kill you!"

"As if you could take me," Inuyasha muttered, looking surprisingly unsurprised at his mothers antics.

"I heard that, and while I may not be able to take you physically, I will break you emotionally! I will cry for months, Inuyasha! Months!" Inuyasha winced.

"Please don't."

"Then don't mess it up! Goodbye now!"

And with that, they were, for the very first time, truly alone.

A/N: Well, well, well. Look who exploded into a solid first place. You guys are reviewing in the double digits now! I love it! The other stories are feeling sad, but this one is happy dancing all over the place, so nice work.

Just as a heads up, I'm going to take a few days off, but I will be back next week. And we'll see where the ratings stand then. :)


	5. Chapter 5

Inuyasha sat down across from Kagome. The large spread of food that had arrived shortly after his mother left was between them, laden with an overly lavish array of fruits and melted chocolate. Inuyasha blanched. Just what exactly were his parents trying to make happen...?

Fortunately, Kagome seemed oblivious. She popped a strawberry into her mouth and gave him a conspiratorial smile. "So," she said.

"So," Inuyasha replied nervously.

She leaned forward. "Tell me all the secrets."

"Um...what?"

"Well obviously you don't come from the typical family. I'm going to need some backstory if I'm going to keep your parents happy during the trial period."

"Trust me. They seem happy enough already. If you make them any happier they'd probably explode into a poof of joy and unreasonable expectations."

"Ok, but here's the thing. Just imagine if they directed the same amount of intensity towards me but they DIDN'T like me. Can you really look me in the eyes and tell me that they wouldn't murder me in my sleep?"

Inuyasha looked her in the eyes. "They wouldn't murder you in your sleep."

"Well that's a relief."

"There's no way they could wait that long. The disappointment that you're not the one for me would be so overwhelming that they'd be forced to kill you immediately, bury you in the yard, and make an eerily similar-looking doll to fool the neighbors until they could find someone to replace you."

Kagome looked ill. "So back to my request for information to avoid that weirdly specific fate..."

Inuyasha casually chewed a grape as he considered her question. "Well my mom is easy to please. Just indulge her girly needs and she'll be eating out of your hand. In fact, she'll literally eat out of your hand if you tell her it's what girls do these days to bond. And my dad will like you as long as you continue to be female and look capable of bearing him some grandchildren. Sesshoumaru..."

"Who's that?"

"My half-brother."

"Oh. Go on."

"Well... I would, but I'm not actually sure how you would win him over. I haven't even done it yet."

"How long have you been trying?"

"My whole life?"

"You must suck at it, then." She giggled, and Inuyasha wondered if she was insulting him. There wasn't anything malicious in her laugh, though, so he smiled.

"I guess I do."

"Well challenge accepted."

"I want to be clear. I did not challenge you. And if you try too hard with him you'll probably drive him further away."

"Challenge accepted."

"He might kill you."

"Challenge accepted."

"I thought you were trying to avoid being murdered by a member of my family?"

"Only if it's not entertaining to me."

"Ah."

Kagome swirled another strawberry in the chocolate thoughtfully. Then she put it down and looked up. "I just want to say thank you again. For everything. This whole evening has been dramatically better than I anticipated it being."

"Even with the interrogation? I'm sorry about that, by the way."

"No, don't be! Honestly, it was endearing." She looked so sincere that Inuyasha almost blushed. But then he remembered that he was not at all the blushing kind and scowled instead.

She looked confused. "What's wrong?"

"Feh."

"What does 'feh' mean?"

Before Inuyasha could stutter out some kind of explanation, there was a strange bubbling in the hot spring behind Kagome. He scrunched his brows, puzzled, and leaned around her. She raised an eyebrow at him like she thought he was crazy, but then turned to look as well.

All of a sudden, a large, shapeless creature plunged headfirst from the water, splashing both of them with a wave of hot liquid. Kagome screamed, and Inuyasha quickly leaped in front of her and took a fighting stance. The creature flopped around and gasped for air, losing its ominousness quickly. Inuyasha lowered his claws.

"Mom... what are you doing?"

"Just checking in! I had an underwater tunnel installed so I could pop in and see how you two were getting along. I was trying to listen through these reeds!" She held out a handful of the hollow plants proudly.

"Well that's... not disconcerting at all..." Kagome said wryly, wringing out her dress.

"Oh don't worry, dear. It didn't seem to be working. It sounded like you were talking about murder!"

Inuyasha and Kagome exchanged a glance.

"Never!" Kagome gasped, acting flamboyantly shocked by the idea.

"No, that's just crazy," Inuyasha joined in, playing along.

"The very idea!"

"We probably said... herder!"

Both women looked at Inuyasha.

"Were you discussing livestock?" his mother asked.

"...obviously..."

There was a long and awkward pause.

"Ok... Well I would never want to pry on your private conversations."

"The reeds and the underwater tunnel imply otherwise."

"And it's time for you to get to bed now. Your father and I are very concerned with protecting Lady Kagome's purity."

"The melted chocolate and the fact that you locked us in a room with a bed imply otherwise."

"So get out now and let her sleep. We have something very special planned for the two of you tomorrow that I'm sure you'll both enjoy!"

"So many, many things imply otherwise."

Despite his protests, Inuyasha allowed his mother to herd (lol) him out. He managed a short wave before the door slammed behind him.

"Did you kiss her?" his mother hissed.

"What!? No!"

His mother pouted.

"Oh... go to bed, crazy person."

"Fine. But do better tomorrow! I'm counting on you to lock that down!"

Shaking his head, Inuyasha headed to his room. He would need a full night of sleep to prepare for the madness that would surely ensue tomorrow.

A/N: You guys are fabulous. Just fabulous. I got double digit reviews again! You're spoiling me. All the other stories are crying in corners.


	6. Chapter 6

"Shoot!" Kagome pouted as yet another makeshift boat melted into her hot spring. She was used to getting up early for lessons, but since she didn't have any here she wasn't totally sure what she was meant to be doing. She thought it best to stay in her room until a decently reasonable hour, but there wasn't too much to do there. So far she had made her bed, taken a bath, gotten dressed, braided her hair, braided her sheets, unbraided her sheets and made her bed again, counted the strings in all the tassels on all her pillows, run in circles, made a tiny doll out of the leftover fruit from last night, and now she was trying to make a boat so that Fruitsie could sail away. But she was having a lot of difficulty finding materials that would both float and stick together in a vaguely boat-like shape that could conceivably support a fruitilicious manchild.

There was a knock on the door.

"Kagome, dear? Are you awake?"

"Yes! Yes, I am!"

"What are you doing?"

Kagome looked at her pool of sunken failures. "Nothing..."

"Can you be ready in fifteen minutes? I have a surprise for you."

"I can be ready now, if you want."

"Wonderful!" Izayoi exclaimed, flinging open the doors. "Then come with me!"

Kagome eagerly rose and went to the door to meet her. "What's the surprise?"

"You'll see!" Izayoi answered cryptically. Then she practically started skipping down the hall. Kagome trotted awkwardly beside her, getting a bit caught up in her excitement in spite of herself.

When they entered the main hall, Kagome's questions only increased. Someone had set up a couple of tables facing each other, both of which were overflowing with fabric and flowers in order to look as dramatic as possible. One of the tables was on an elevated platform. Inuyasha was sitting at this one, looking surly and annoyed. It was a particularly funny sight when his expression was contrasted with the flowery gaiety around him. His frown did lessen slightly when he saw her though.

"Why don't you go sit next to him, dear?" Izayoi suggested, looking entirely too invested in the request for it to really be as casual as it sounded. Nonetheless, Kagome complied. She nodded at Inuyasha as she sat, smirking slightly at his clear discomfort.

"Sorry in advance," he said.

"For what?"

"For this."

"What is this?"

"GLAD YOU ASKED!" Izayoi bellowed, sitting gracefully at the table facing theirs. "Welcome to the first Event of the Trial! I call this one... The Get-To-Know-You Game!"

From somewhere else in the main hall, Inuyasha's father clapped enthusiastically.

"Does he not get to sit at the table with Izayoi?" Kagome whispered.

"That would imply that he had some hand in organizing or facilitating this... and this is all Mom," he whispered back.

"The rules are simple," Izayoi continued, ignoring their side conversation. "I will ask a question to each of you, and if you get it right then I will share something positive about you, and if you get it wrong then I will share something embarrassing."

Kagome raised her hand. "Contestant one? You have a question?"

"Yes, where did you get anything embarrassing about me?"

"It's included in your file, of course. This is a very standard game for trials."

"I doubt that," Inuyasha muttered, also raising his hand.

"Yes? Contestant two?"

"First of all, why does she get to be contestant one?"

"She's prettier."

"...uh huh. Second of all, how do I win this game?"

"It's not exactly about winning; it's about getting to know each other! That's why it's called the Get-To-Know-You game!"

"But if I win then the game is over. So. I would really like a way to win to be included in the rules."

"Oh... fine. If you get three in a row correct, then you win."

"What do I win?"

"I don't know. A new weapon of your choice."

"I'm in!" Kagome exclaimed, suddenly fired up. To have a bow here would be amazing. For obvious reasons, she hadn't been allowed to pack hers. "You're going down, Inuyasha."

"Feh," Inuyasha responded. He still didn't seem too invested, but he was at least warming up to the whole thing.

"Wonderful!" Izayoi crooned. "Question one. Inuyasha. If the time it takes for an arrow to reach a target is composed of moments, and in each moment the area that the arrow must cover is some distance, then when you divide the time to such a small degree that the arrow is not moving at all and add those tiny bits of time up to make the whole length of time that the arrow is traveling, then how is is it that the arrow can move when its flight is made up of motionless moments?

"The hell kind of question is that!?"

"Do you have an answer?"

"It just... does! Arrows move when you shoot them!"

"Insufficient. Inuyasha wet his bed until he was seven!"

"MOM!"

"Next question. Kagome... What color is this rose?"

"Are you kidding me right now?"

"It's red!" Kagome said excitedly.

"That's right! Kagome won first place in her town's pie-eating contest."

"Respect," Inuyasha said, taking a break from his outrage to be impressed.

"There wasn't much competition. I'm surprised my parents included that, though. They're pretty ashamed of my title."

"They didn't! All their 'fun' facts about you are boring, though. So I did some research of my own."

"Ok... now I'm scared. What else did you find out?"

"You'll have to play to see! Inuyasha, are you ready?"

"I am if my next question isn't such bullshit."

"What's my middle name?"

"Uh... It's um..."

"Once when Inuyasha was fourteen, I walked into my bedroom to find him trying on my corset!"

"I deserve that... And for the record, I was just curious how much it really hurt. A lot, apparently."

"You're telling me."

"Kagome! What color is thiiiis rose?"

"Yellow!"

"Oh, for the love of..."

"Kagome once scaled the side of her manor barefoot and in a dress!

"Ok, only like two people know about that. And one of them is my grandmother who died last year. Be honest... does your mother commune with the dead?"

"I wouldn't be surprised."

"Inuyasha!"

"Be sane, Mom. Please. Don't you want her to like me?"

"Well, I suppose... Ok, what's my first name?"

"Izayoi!"

"Yes, dear, what is it?"

Inuyasha sighed heavily.

"I'm just joking. You're correct! Inuyasha is capable of taking thirty demons on in a fight and coming out uninjured."

"That's better."

"Eh."

"Eh!?"

"Thirty's not that much."

"I'd like to see you try."

"Any. Time."

"Kagome, what is the air speed velocity of an unladen swallow?"

"What!? I thought we had a thing going. Don't you want to ask about another flower?"

"But this is your third. If you get it right then the game would be over, dear. Where's the fun in that?"

"The bow would be fun... for me..."

"So then what's the answer?"

"I don't know..."

"Doesn't feel so great, does it?" Inuyasha whispered, smugly.

"Shut up."

"Alright, then. When Kagome was ten, she interrupted a dinner party that her parents were having and began to mimic each of the guests, even going so far as to hold conversations with herself as two of them."

"Oh come on, that's not even embarrassing. That's adorable."

"Be honest, have you been stalking me? Since I was ten?"

The game continued in a similar fashion for a considerable amount of time. Servants brought in breakfast and then lunch to the contestants, the facilitator, and the audience member so that they would not have to take a break. Finally, there was a turning point.

"One hundred and forty two! There is a total of one hundred and forty two strings in the tassels on my bed! And that's my third question! I win!" There was more clapping from the audience.

"How did you know that!?" Inuyasha asked, flabbergasted.

"It doesn't matter! We're free!"

"Oh... that's too bad. Well, fine. Kagome hasn't missed a shot in two years. And I guess you won't lose practice here, since I'm assuming I'll be buying you a bow?"

"A bow, a bow!"

"Alright. You can go this evening into town. I'll give you money. I wish I could go with you, but my husband and I unfortunately have other plans. Inuyasha will accompany you. And Sesshoumaru can chaperone."


	7. Chapter 7

Inuyasha leaned against a tree impatiently as Sesshoumaru stood stoically nearby. The bark was uncomfortably itchy, adding to his aggravation. Why was Kagome taking so long?

"I didn't ask for you to come, you know," he said sulkily, to break the silence.

"I am aware."

"So you can't be mad at me. Be mad at Mom."

"Not a soul implied that I was upset."

"But you are. You hate shopping. And you're going to take it out on me. I know it. But it's not my fault!"

"I fully comprehend that."

Inuyasha sighed heavily. Sesshoumaru was going to be a jerk. He just knew it.

Finally, Kagome emerged gracefully from the castle and curtsied low before Sesshoumaru, her back perfectly arched and her skirt daintily spread. Inuyasha snorted.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Sesshoumaru," she murmured softly. He bowed regally in return and appraised her. Then he took her hand and brushed the knuckles with his lips.

Inuyasha straightened, disgusted. He knew it was just a formality, but it bothered him. And why was Kagome being so formal anyway?

"Shall we depart?" Sesshoumaru asked, offering Kagome an arm. She accepted it with a smile. Then they turned and began to walk in step towards the village.

"Hey!" Inuyasha yelled, jogging after them. "Forgetting something? Me, for example? And why are you escorting her? I should be."

"Inuyasha, do let's walk in silence. It is such a beautiful day to be marred by idle chatter," Kagome replied. Sesshoumaru looked at her approvingly. Inuyasha looked at her in shock.

"What the!?" he started, only to be stopped by her cool finger on his lips.

The rest of the walk was silent, with Kagome and Sesshoumaru strolling leisurely along, looking like a royal couple with all their dignified elegance, and Inuyasha trailing behind, pouting and occasionally kicking rocks. One of them hit a cat, who immediately attacked his leg. It took him several minutes to disengage the clawing furball, and he came out of the fight with four major scratches. At no point did either of his companions attempt to help him, nor did they even turn around to see what all the yowling and cursing was about.

When they reached the weapons district, Inuyasha was in an extremely bad mood. His leg hurt, no one was talking to him, and Sesshoumaru was still escorting Kagome as if she belonged to him, and for some reason that was incredibly annoying. Still, he wasn't in a bad enough mood to miss observing Kagome's expression when she saw the racks of bows. It seemed lit from within with a quiet joy. She selected a few and weighed them each in her hand. The ones that seemed to pass that test, she held up to tug at their strings. Very quickly, she decided on a light bow made of dark wood that was carved to resemble vines.

Sesshoumaru, who had been entrusted with the money, pulled the shop keeper aside to negotiate a price. Kagome, still maintaining a visage of propriety, leaned towards Inuyasha and whispered out of the corner of her mouth, "Hey! How am I doing?"

"Huh?" he asked.

"Sh! How am I doing? Give me a gauge. He seems to not hate me, but I don't know him well, so he could just be veiling his disdain. So tell me; am I winning? Does he like me?"

"Oh, he likes you," Inuyasha grumbled, finally remembering Kagome's claim that she would win over Sesshoumaru. "A little too much."

"Yes! I told you I would do it. I am awesome. Admit that I am awesome."

"You're awesome," Inuyasha sighed. "But can you quit it now and stop ignoring me?"

"I'm not ignoring you. I'm just pretending to. Trust me, I caught every moment of your defeat at the paws of a common house cat."

"I was not defeated!"

"Your leg was."

"Shut up."

"A common house cat."

"Shut up!"

Sesshoumaru approached them again and held out his hand for the bow Kagome was still clutching. "We have agreed on a price, and the owner is ready to wrap it for us," he said. Kagome relinquished the weapon and Sesshoumaru began to turn away.

Inuyasha couldn't help himself. He grabbed Sesshoumaru's arm. "Hey," he said. "Why are you being so buddy-buddy with MY festival match?" He knew Kagome's motivation now, but Sesshoumaru's was still unclear.

His brother raised an eyebrow before shaking off Inuyasha's grip. "Does it bother you?" he asked condescendingly before striding away.

"I think that's your answer," Kagome smirked. "He must really hate you. And you've been trying to win him over your whole life, you said? Wow, you really do suck. It's not that hard. I could give you some pointers if you want..."

"I hate everyone."

"Like, you could stop being so annoying, for example."

"Do you really think I'm annoying?" Inuyasha asked, slightly hurt.

"I don't, no. But Sesshoumaru clearly does. And that cat. Do you remember the cat from earlier?"

"I am seriously going to kill you if you talk about the hell-cat ever again."

"I'd like to see you try. I'm armed now, you know."

"Hah. Bring it."

"Right now?"

"Anytime, anywhere."

"Sesshoumaru?" Kagome called. The dog demon returned with her now-wrapped bow, which she accepted immediately. "Inuyasha and I are going to fight to the death in that field over there. One of us will be back soon."

"I hope it is you," Sesshoumaru responded.

"You're the worst chaperone ever," Inuyasha grumbled. Then Kagome grabbed his hand and they ran together through a field of flowers... readying themselves for battle.


	8. Chapter 8

Kagome skimmed her fingertips along the tops of the flowers as she ran to the center of the field, pulling Inuyasha along with her. When she reached the middle of the expanse, she released him suddenly and he stumbled into place across from her. Striking a fighting pose and smirking, she asked, "Are you ready?"

"Hold on," Inuyasha replied nervously. "We're not really fighting to the death, are we?"

She arced an eyebrow. "Scared?"

"Of killing the only girl I've ever met who doesn't live life from makeover to makeover and facing the wrath of my parents as a result? Yes. Of being murdered by a human girl in a field of flowers and always being remembered for that and mocked at my own funeral? Also yes. Both options are bad."

She laughed and pretended to sigh. "Alright, not to the death, then. No actual blows. But if you get in position to slash my neck, then that's your kill. And if I get into position to shoot you in the heart, that's mine."

She swiftly unwrapped her bow, then summoned an arrow of weak miko energy and shot it at Inuyasha's chest. It hit his heart, then dissipated softly in a small shower of sparks.

"Like that," she said helpfully. "So now the score is one to zero. Shall we play to three?"

"Hey! That one doesn't count! I didn't know we were starting!"

"We're on the battlefield. You watched me draw my bow. If this were a real battle, you'd be dead for sure..." Before she finished talking, Inuyasha rushed her, and delicately stroked her throat.

"Fine," he said. "It's one to one now."

"Fair enough," she responded, swallowing nervously and wondering why her heart had started speeding up when he had gotten close to her. It must be because she was getting into the spirit of the fight.

Without warning, she turned on her heel and started sprinting away from him. As she ran, she ripped the delicate buds she passed from their stems and collected them in her palm. After a couple seconds, she felt rather than saw Inuyasha overtake her, then dart in front of her. Before he could make a move, she blew her handful of petals into his face. He spluttered in surprise, and she quickly took advantage of the moment to sweep his legs out from under him. As he crashed down, she shot an arrow at his chest and turned to run again.

It was great to feel free like this. Running despite her dress, practicing her archery without disapproval and with an actual sparring partner, and being outdoors without a ridiculous hairpiece weighing her down. She wasn't sure she'd ever felt so herself. Unfortunately, she didn't have long to revel in the feeling, as Inuyasha soon caught up to her again and swept her own feet out from under her. She fell in a heap, with him straddling her at the waist. First he pinned the hand that held her bow, then he once more lightly stroked her neck. Like before, her pulse quickened and she swallowed self-consiously.

Then he unceremoniously blew a mouthful of flower petals on her forehead. They were slightly sticky with spit.

"Do you know how humiliating it is to be beaten with a handful of flowers?" he asked, clearly irate.

"At least as humiliating as getting pinned and spit on, I'm sure," Kagome responded wryly,

"I just want to be even. And speaking of even... we're tied."

Kagome quickly summoned an arrow to her unpinned hand and moved to stab him with it, but he returned his hand to her neck just as quickly.

"Still tied," he smirked. She dropped her arrow and he dropped his hand. "It's probably best that way. We don't have to have a winner and a loser. If we did there'd be no end to the taunting and childish insults and..." He looked down to see her arrow once again in his chest.

"By childish insults, do you mean 'I win; you lose; you suck at everything'? Because... I win and you lose and you really suck at everything..."

"Well, good. Why would we want to take the high rode and end the match with dignity? No, this is much better. Now this has been the most humiliating fight of my life, so thanks for that."

"You lost to a girl. In a field of flowers. How pathetic is that?"

He rolled off of her. "Ok, we're going back to the market now. Maybe someone there will sell me a muzzle for you."

Kagome stood and brushed herself off, throwing a few of the petals from her forehead back at Inuyasha for good measure.

Moments later, they found Sesshoumaru still perusing the stalls in the market, studying and testing various weapons.

"We're back," Kagome announced as they approached.

He looked up, clearly disappointed. "I was under the impression that only one of you was returning..."

"You really thought that your brother and I were running off to attempt to murder each other, and you were just casually waiting here, fully prepared to walk nonchalantly back to the castle with whoever won?" Kagome asked incredulously.

He sighed heavily. "I guess it was too good to be true."

A/N: Guys. Thanks so much for the mountain of reviews. For serious. It makes me very happy. And happy fingers write more, in case you didn't know. :)


	9. Chapter 9

After revealing the startling indifference he had towards the death of his brother, Sesshoumaru resignedly offered his arm to Kagome again to escort her back to the castle. Without hesitation, Inuyasha intercepted the gesture.

"I'll be walking her back, thanks," he said, pushing Sesshoumaru's hand away as he wound Kagome's into his own. He didn't want a repeat of their previous stroll. His brother shrugged and started walking away without comment, evidently not possessive in the least. Inuyasha felt a twinge of relief.

"Jealous?" Kagome asked, once he was some distance away.

"No!" Inuyasha replied, possibly a bit too quickly.

"Afraid I'll tell him you lost?" she pressed, faking a compassionate tone and expression.

"Whatever. You can tell him if you want."

"Then what? You want protection from the cat?"

"Yup. That's it. If it comes back, make sure you throw some flowers at it."

Kagome laughed, and they started walking.

"So do you come here often?" she asked after a pause.

"Where? Town? All the time."

She smiled and seemed somehow gratified by that. "I've never been to the town around my home."

"Why?"

"I wasn't allowed to go. My parents saw no reason for it. Everything we needed was brought to us, we had plenty of land for walks or whatever, and they didn't exactly have an interest in getting to know any townspeople. Plus, they thought it might be too dangerous for me. I could accidentally get a tan or something and that would ruin my marriage prospects forever."

"You can't get a tan on your own land?"

"We have a lot of trees."

"Ah." They walked in silence for a bit, Kagome observing her surroundings, and Inuyasha observing her reactions to them. It was a bit odd to experience something he was so familiar with through new eyes. He would have felt self-conscious about it, except that she was so clearly pleased with what she saw.

"Thanks for walking me back," she said suddenly, turning back to look at him. "I was trying too hard to mimic Sesshoumaru's aloofness on the way here to enjoy it."

"I guess it's lucky for you that you're such a good fighter and that feral cats are so fierce," Inuyasha mumbled, looking at the ground and trying to pretend he hadn't been watching her.

Before long, they reached the castle, and stopped right before its doors.

"Thanks for walking me back," Kagome said, dropping his arm. "I should go change. I got this dress a bit dirty, and I don't want your mom to know before I get a chance to clean it. But I'll see you at dinner?"

Inuyasha nodded, and she smiled and skipped off behind the doors. He stood for a moment, contemplating what to do until then. As he thought, he leaned against the tree he had leaned against earlier that day waiting for her to arrive. What was with him? He used to do plenty of things. All by himself. But right this second he couldn't think of anything he'd rather do than lean against a tree and wait for dinner time. He scoffed at his own ridiculousness.

Suddenly, his ears twitched and he got the peculiar feeling that he was being watched. Quickly, he glanced around, then at each of the windows, catching one of them in time to see the suspicious fluttering of a curtain. Great! Something to do.

He bounded inside and up one flight of stairs, then quietly took position outside the door of the room. It wasn't long before he heard his mother's voice.

"You're right; he probably didn't see us. But did you notice that he walked her back arm in arm? Seeing their faces so close together, I can really picture their children..."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"What's even better is that he seemed not to know what to do without her when she left! He looked like a lost puppy!" his dad responded enthusiastically.

Inuyasha wrinkled his brow. Was it that obvious?

"And speaking of puppies, let's go back to the children. His white ears with her dark hair? Can you imagine?"

They both chuckled maniacally.

"What do you think, son?" his father called out, obviously smelling him near.

"Hey, dad..."

His mother burst through the door and hugged him, then drew back and grabbed his shoulders, staring him down with the most intense eyes he'd ever seen her have. "Have you kissed her yet?" she asked in an almost reverent-sounding whisper.

"Still no." Izayoi's face fell dramatically, like he had just told her he'd burned a barrel of puppies and then sprinkled their ash in her breakfast.

"I'm so disappointed in you."

"We raised you better than that, son."

"What, do you think you'll find someone else? Someone else of Kagome's caliber that would be at all interested in you?"

"It's pretty doubtful, son."

"I've known her for two days!" Inuyasha exclaimed, brushing off his mother's hands and storming off.

"She's gotten engaged in less time than that!" she called after him.

Inuyasha froze.

"Really?"

"Her record is 3 ½ minutes."

He contemplated this. "And how long before the engagement was over?"

"...Another 3 ½ minutes, but that's not the point!"

"It is the point! If I pursue her too soon, she'll run!"

"Ah ha!" His mother shrieked, jogging up to him to point a triumphant finger. "So you are trying to pursue her!"

"I didn't say that! I was just saying... that... IF I were, it wouldn't be smart to push it, but that was all theoretical and... Shut up!"

"Kiss her tomorrow."

"I won't!"

"If you don't, I will throw a ball the very next day and invite every eligible bachelor in the area and one of them will steal her from you and it will be all your fault for not taking the initiative yourself."

"That seems counterproductive to your goal."

"OUR goal, sweetie. Admitting it is the first step."

"I'm just saying that if you want grandkids..."

"And I do."

"Then why would you try to throw Kagome into a room full of other men?"

"Because I know you'd hate it, and I want to give you a little incentive to kiss the girl! And besides. I like her. So if you can't man up enough to get her, I at least want her to be happy."

"How do you know I'll hate it?"

"Because you're clenching your fists, dear. Try not to get blood on the carpet." Inuyasha looked down, startled, and released his hands, flexing them a bit to get rid of the tension. Then he grimaced, realizing that his mother had him and she knew it.

"We'll see," he said tersely, before stalking off.

"Tomorrow, dear! By midnight."

"I got it!" he called over his shoulder, thoroughly annoyed.

"Tonight would work, too!"

"I SAID I GOT IT!"

Now he was going to have to come up with a stupid plan.


	10. Chapter 10

For the second morning in a row, Kagome wandered her room, wondering when would be the appropriate time to leave it. She felt more comfortable today than she had yesterday, so she was tempted to just walk out, social awkwardness be damned. But on the other hand, Inuyasha had started acting really strangely last night. For a while before dinner he just hovered near her, but refused to talk. Then, at the actual meal, he kept looking at her and blushing. His mom seemed more smug and amused than usual, so maybe she had something to do with it, but whatever was bugging Inuyasha, Kagome wished he'd get over it. She'd only known him a short time, but his friendship and company were already extremely valuable to her. Maybe she should just go find him...

Deciding that was the best course of action, Kagome flung open the door, only to narrowly miss the very hanyou she had been setting out to find.

"How long have you been there?" she asked, startled.

"Since four. I mean, just a couple minutes. I mean, I don't know. It doesn't matter. How are you?"

Well, at least he was talking. "I'm...fine..." She said slowly. "How are you? You seem... nervous."

"What? No. Me? Definitely not."

"Ok... Well, what's up?"

If possible, Inuyasha began to look even more nervous.

"I, uh... I would like you to take a walk with me. To my favorite place. Which I want to show you. Because... I think you would like it."

"Oh... well, ok."

"Great," Inuyasha said, turning on his heel and marching purposefully down the hallway. Kagome surmised that she was supposed to follow him.

They walked in silence for a few paces, Inuyasha staring straight ahead and walking very stiffly, and Kagome trotting behind him and blatantly staring at his face, trying to figure out what was up. Then she rolled her eyes and decided just to ask. "So. What's going on that makes you so nervous?"

"I'm not nervous. So. Nothing."

"Just be straight with me. Is your 'favorite place' the pit where you ditch the bodies of all the people you've killed?"

"No...it's just a pretty place..."

"Then why so nervous?"

"I dunno, maybe because this will be my first... Time bringing anyone there?"

"Really? Aw, I'm flattered."

He looked more than necessarily relieved at that response.

"Good. It's this way now..."

They navigated outside, and around the side of the castle, finally stopping at the base of a huge tree. Inuyasha glanced at her anxiously.

"Here?" She asked.

"Nope. Up there," he answered, pointing up into the branches.

Immediately, she grinned, then almost as immediately she frowned. "I wish you'd told me," she said. "I would have worn the one pair of pants I was allowed to bring instead of yet another gigantic dress that I can't do anything in. Oh well, nothing for it." Without hesitation, she began to shimmy out of the piles of cloth her mother called a dress.

"Wh...what are you doing!?" Inuyasha stammered, covering his eyes as she started to lift her skirts.

"I know. Impressive, right? Usually, girls need an attendant or two to get out of one of these things. But my higher than average hatred of them has enabled me to get out of them alone, and in only about a minute and a half."

"But you'll be naked!"

"False. Also, you don't have to close your eyes."

"I don't believe you. If I uncover my eyes, you're going to be naked and then you're going to scream rape and no one will believe that I'm innocent because normal girls can't get out of those cloth tents without help!"

"Help from a rapist?"

"Yes!"

"If that were really my plan, I feel that I could do it just as effectively before you open your eyes. The fact that your hand is over them is a really poor defense and probably won't hold up in court. But seriously, Inuyasha. I have piles of underclothes on. A corset and really ruffley pants things. You're going to be fine."

Reluctantly, Inuyasha peered around his hand to look at her, then dropped it altogether.

"You look dumb."

"I know, ok? But at least I can climb. You ready?" Without waiting for a response, she sprang upwards to grab a low-hanging branch. It had been a while since she'd been able to sneak away and climb trees, so it took her a bit longer than usual to swing onto the top of the branch, but she still managed it in a respectable time frame. Inuyasha annoyingly leaped in front of her with grace and ease, but he at least had the decency to say "respect" before he continued up the branches at lightning speed.

Grinning goofily, she gave chase, and hoisted herself up on branch after branch until she finally reached the limb beneath the one that Inuyasha had chosen to stop on. He was straddling it, his back against the trunk, watching her climb.

"Man, I'm glad I'm not as naked as you thought I was, or that climb would have been really scratchy," she joked.

He said nothing, but reached his hand out to her. She took it, briefly noticing the roughness of it before he pulled her up and in front of him. Before she knew it, she was leaning against his chest.

It was not uncomfortable. Actually, it was really nice. But she had never had so much physical contact with a man before in her life. Her back was against his chest, her legs were draped against his, and he was still holding the hand he had used to help her up. She couldn't see his face, but she was definitely glad he couldn't see hers either. She was sure it was crimson and as conflicted-looking as she was feeling. All of this ran through her mind in a matter of seconds, and then she saw the view.

Right in front of her, through a break in the branches, the whole of the town and the fields and forests beyond was laid out in a breathtaking panorama. "It's beautiful," she whispered. She felt Inuyasha nod behind her.

"I come here when I want to think," he said.

"What did you want to think about right now?"

He hesitated. "Us. I wanted to think about us and I wanted your input. What's our plan?"

"I don't know. Wait out the trail period and then gain our freedom?"

"But what do you want to do after that? Do you want to get married at all?"

"To a guy I choose, sure. If I don't like anyone, then no."

"Ok, so... what kind of guy do you like?"

Kagome thought for a second. She wasn't sure why he was asking, and it wasn't ever something that she had given a lot of thought to. "Someone strong, I guess. Someone that doesn't take himself or society's regulations too seriously. Someone that I enjoy spending time with and feel comfortable around..." She shrugged.

"Well, I've gotta say... that sounds a lot like..."

"Inuyasha!" Both Kagome and her backrest looked down. Sesshoumaru was standing impatiently at the base of the tree.

"What!?" Inuyasha yelled back, clearly aggravated by the interruption.

"Breakfast. Now. Come."

"Give me a minute."

"I will not."

Inuyasha gritted his teeth. "We'll continue this later, I guess," he muttered. Then he swept her up and dashed across the branch, finally flinging himself off of the end of it. They landed softly on the ground, and he quickly put her down, glaring menacingly at his brother before heading off towards the dining room.

"Good morning, Sesshoumaru," Kagome said politely, trying to stem the hostility in the air.

"It is adequate," he responded tersely. Then they set off for the dining room as well.

A/N: Mwahaha, surely you didn't think it would be that easy!? Tune in next time, kiddies!


	11. Chapter 11

Inuyasha paced the hall in front of Kagome's room restlessly. She was getting dressed. No one had commented on the fact that she had shown up to breakfast in undergarments, but his parents did send him a lot of questioning glances. Then they started winking a lot, which was worse. Sesshoumaru didn't say or do anything, but that was pretty typical. After the meal, she excused herself to go change and she had been in her room ever since. It had been four minutes already. What was taking so long?

Once again, Inuyasha cursed his fate. He had basically stayed up all night coming up with a plan to get this issue taken care of as soon as possible. That was why he had been waiting at her door since four in the morning ready to whisk her off to a place that was emotionally significant to him and aesthetically pleasing. Chicks loved emotions and aesthetics, didn't they? But just when he got her cuddled up against him and steered the conversation to their relationship, his stupid brother showed up and ruined it. And now he needed a stupid Part Two to his stupid plan.

The door opened and he started.

Kagome was wearing pants. They were clearly made for men and yet they somehow hugged her in all the right places. More than that, they suited her. Her whole demeanor and stance was more relaxed in them, and she came off even more confident and self-assured than usual. He liked it.

Unfortunately, his brain's appreciation, as usual, did not translate well to his mouth, because the comment that came out of it was, "Pants!?" Like he'd never seen a pair before. He mentally slapped himself. _Way to amp up the romance, mouth. You're on probation._

"Yup. Pants," she replied, as if his comment were normal. Bless her. "So far we've engaged in hand-to-hand combat and tree-climbing, both of which would have been much easier had I not been wearing a billowy cloth tube, so I figured I'd put them on before I find myself at a disadvantage a third time in a row. Will your mom mind if I wear them? Or anyone?"

Still not trusting his mouth, even with a simple yes/no question, Inuyasha mutely shook his head. Kagome grinned. "It's awesome here," she said. "So what's the plan?"

Great question. What was the plan? With his brain coming up with no answers, Inuyasha spontaneously decided to switch allegiance. _Your move, mouth. Don't mess it up again._ "You only brought one pair of those, right?" _Oh come on, mouth, where are you going with this?_

"That's right. And I argued for days just to get these. I had to promise never to wear them in front of anyone, just in the privacy of my own room. So... don't mention my blatant promise-breaking when you meet my mother, ok? Or the undergarment thing. She didn't explicitly forbid that, but I have a hunch she'd at least frown on it."

"Well you're going to be here for a while. One pair of pants isn't going to last you. I could loan you some of mine if you want. They're in my room."

Her eyes lit up. "Really? I'd love that!" _ Nice. I was wrong to lose faith in you, mouth. My room may not be as nice to look at as the tree, but it's way more emotionally significant, and, more importantly, way more private. High five. Wait, can a mouth high five? Would it just be a kiss? That's kinda weird._ Inuyasha decided to stop mentally talking to his mouth.

"Let's go, then," he said.

A few minutes later, they were standing in his room, and Inuyasha realized that he hadn't quite thought the Plan Part Two through.

"Is your room always this messy?"

"...yes..."

"You're so lucky. Maids are always cleaning up mine, and it makes me feel like it's not really my space." Crisis averted. Kagome was cooler than everyone.

He walked to a chest of drawers and randomly selected a few trousers, tossing them at her. She of course caught them deftly. Because she was perfect.

"You can try them on in here and I'll wait outside," he said, heading towards the door even as he spoke.

"Ok. I'll call when I'm ready." He nodded.

Back in the hallway once more, he resumed the pacing that had become his constant habit since the previous evening. What if she was snooping through his stuff? He supposed that would be her showing an interest in learning more about him which would inevitably further the progression of their relationship... but, then again, what if she found something really embarrassing? He wracked his brain for items in his room that would fall into this category.

"I'm ready!" Relieved, he burst back into the room, half expecting to find her holding up some long-forgotten failure he'd been hiding under his bed. What he did not expect was to see her sitting on his bed wearing his pants. Obviously, that's about what he should have been expecting, but nothing could have prepared him for how intimate the scene looked. He liked the way his clothes fit her. He liked it a lot.

"So what do you think?"

"It... uh... you look good." She flashed her megawatt smile at him again.

"I feel good."

"Yeah... hey, Kagome?"

"Yes?"

He coughed, and sat down next to her on the bed. She looked at him innocently, waiting for his next sentence. It made him feel a bit uncomfortable to have her look at him that trustingly. Did she really not suspect him of anything? And was that trust something he alone had earned, or was she just generally not suspicious of anyone? Could another guy have invited her to his bedroom and gotten the same response? _Had_ another guy?

That was not a road he wanted to go down. Realizing that she was still waiting for him to speak, he tried to focus. It was now or never. "You have a stray hair," he said quietly, smoothing her always-loose hair behind her ears. Then he swallowed nervously and began to lean in.

There was a loud knock at the door. Inuyasha froze, and sniffed the air. Then he dropped his hands from Kagome's face and stood up, crossing his arms like a petulant child.

"What do you want, Sesshoumaru?"

"Lunch. Now. Come."

"We just had breakfast!"

"That is true."

"So how is it lunch time already!?"

"We had breakfast late. Because you were late. I came to find you to make sure that you were not late again."

"I'm not hungry."

"...But it is lunch time."

"Fine! You win again! Kagome, we will continue this later! Again!" He angrily pushed open the doors and power walked to the dining room, determined to get this second interruption over with as quickly as possible. Both his parents were already waiting at the table like a couple of traitors. He sat and began to scarf down food without discernment. Moments later, his vision of beauty and his soon-to-be-dead half brother entered as well. It was then that Inuyasha remembered that Kagome was still wearing his pants, and that that meant... yes. The winking was back. Joy.


	12. Chapter 12

Kagome was positive that something was going on that she didn't know about. Last night, it was only Inuyasha that was acting weird. Now it seemed like everyone had gone crazy. Inuyasha kept alternating between acting nervous and furious, his parents were giggling and winking and nudging each other, and Sesshoumaru was suddenly overly-concerned about mealtimes. It was all very bizarre, and Kagome had basically had enough. If she had wanted everyone around her to know things she didn't and talk about her behind her back, she would have stayed home.

So, boldly resisting the urge to grab each member of the family and shake them, screaming, "TELL ME HOW TO END THIS!", Kagome had politely excused herself from lunch several hours ago. Immediately, Inuyasha had risen, asking to join her, Sesshoumaru had asked if she wanted an afternoon tea, and their parents had both erupted into choruses of twittering. She had immediately declined every invitation, and requested to have dinner sent to her room when it was dinner time, stating clearly that she did not intend to leave her room for the rest of the evening. Her actual plan was not to emerge until all the madness had passed, however long that took. Luckily, she had a foolproof measuring method of the madness in her immediate vicinity. For about the fourth time that hour, Kagome got down on her stomach and peered under the door. Yup. Inuyasha was still pacing out there. The madness remained.

Sighing heavily, Kagome contemplated her options. Escape the room and make a break for it? Open the door for Inuyasha and make him confess everything? Continue staring out the window with a mostly spoiled and gross-looking Fruitsie? She didn't think she could take much more of the last one. Watching the sunset had been fun, but now it was dark out and staring into blackness was too depressing for words.

Resigned to her fate, Kagome slumped over to the door and shoved it open. "Why, Inuyasha," she said in a deadpan voice. "What a surprise. Would you perhaps like to come in?"

"Oh! Kagome! I was just walking by! What a coincidence! But, since you offered, yes, I would like to come in for a bit," Inuyasha responded in a rush. The words sounded laid back, but his tone and the speed with which he brushed past her and into her room completely negated any facade of casualness. She shut the door behind her and locked it, ready to interrogate.

"Have a seat, Inuyasha," she offered, motioning to the table and two chairs in the corner of her room. He did so obligingly.

"Aren't you going to sit, too?" he asked.

"No, I'll stand." She crossed the room to where he was and placed both hands on the table in front of him, staring him down with what she hoped was an intimidating expression. It seemed to work, because he shrank a little in his seat.

"I am not dumb," she said. "So you tell me what's going on right now."

"I don't know what you're..."

"I said I'm not dumb!"

Inuyasha began to fidget and look at his hands. "Ok, I'll tell you. But first I have to do something really quickly and you have to promise not to be upset with me about it."

"Will it end the madness?"

"Yes."

"Then fine! Yes! I agree! Do your worst!"

Inuyasha looked up at her through his bangs. Then he quickly stood and stepped towards her. She straightened in surprise, and he gently put a hand on her shoulder, rubbing small circles on it with his thumb. Their bodies were close together, and she could practically feel the warmth of his. Then he pressed his forehead against hers and she could feel his soft breath on her face. She was frozen. But he was not. He was moving his head, slowly angling it downwards until...

There was a knock at the door.

"SESSHOUMARU, I SWEAR TO GOD I AM GOING TO KILL YOU."

"I have Kagome's dinner."

"I HOPE YOU CHOKE ON IT AND DIE."

"That would be foolish. I have already eaten, and I am a very careful chewer."

A one-sided screaming match began that Kagome paid very little attention to. She needed a second to gather herself. Her heart was pounding furiously, her face was flushed, and her breathing was rapid. Something was wrong with her. And Inuyasha... he had been trying to kiss her. She knew that now. She suspected it earlier when they were on his bed, but she had dismissed it as her imagination. Now she was sure. Her thoughts about it, however, she was less sure of. Did she want that? Did he even? Or was it a part of the family-wide madness? If she kissed him, would that be the end of it, or would it mean more? Was she ready for more? Was Fruitsie ready for more? He had been born into a single mother household and the adjustment might be more than he could bear...

Realizing that her thoughts were swiftly getting more jumbled instead of less, Kagome scanned the room for means of escape so that she could go somewhere she could think more clearly. The door was obviously out, and Inuyasha was standing much too close to the window. That left only one option.

Throwing caution to the wind, Kagome plunged herself headfirst into the hot spring. Izayoi had said there was a tunnel, and dammit, she was going to find it!

What followed was a blur of heat and wetness and lack of air. She was able to feel around and find the entrance fairly quickly, but after that, the tunnel seemed endless. She kicked as powerfully as she could, constantly feeling forward for the end of it, but her lungs were burning. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she broke the surface of the water on the other end, gasping for breath and grasping desperately for something she could use to pull herself out.

"Kagome!?" Izayoi gasped, running towards her.

"You're insane!" Kagome spluttered. "Do you have a spare set of lungs!? Why would you build that!?" She paused to take a few more heavy gulps of air before continuing. "Actually, I respect you for it. Truly, your dedication to eavesdropping is astounding. I won't even be mad if I find you in my hot spring again. Knowing now what you go through to get there, I say you earn any information you get."

"Oh, well there are air pockets every few feet, dear." Kagome stared at her incredulously.

"That... would have been nice to know."

She finally found her footing and started to climb out of the tub. Izayoi helpfully wrapped her in a towel as she emerged.

"So!" she asked cheerfully. "What brings you here today?"

Kagome, who had had just about enough of subterfuge, said bluntly, "Your son tried to kiss me a few minutes ago."

Izayoi's face fell. "Tried? I mean... oh! You don't say! How did you feel about that? How do you feel about him? And how do you feel about the name Izayoi for your first daughter? Just wondering."

Kagome sat grumpily on the floor. "I don't know. And that's the problem. I just don't think about stuff like that. It's not really my thing. It makes people crazy. Look at Inuyasha! He's clearly been thinking about it all day, and he's acting like a lunatic."

Izayoi knelt to join Kagome on the floor. "Do you just not like the idea of it or do you not like him? Don't be afraid to tell me if it's the latter; I wouldn't blame you."

"It's definitely the idea. There's nothing wrong with Inuyasha at all. In fact..." A flashback of their almost-kiss suddenly filled her mind and she buried her head in her towel. "I might actually... like him..."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Kagome heard an explosion of clapping and squealing. She looked up, and Izayoi quickly pulled on a poker face. "Is that so?" she asked in a voice that was clearly trying to suppress the amount of glee that infused it. "Well then what's the problem?"

"The problem is... I've never had a relationship like that! I don't know how to act! And what if pursuing it ruins our friendship? And what will we do when the trial period is over? And what..."

Izayoi placed a hand on Kagome's knee sympathetically. "Welcome to the problems of consensual relationships," she said.

"Man, all these years I thought that arranged marriage was what would complicate my life. I was so wrong..."

"Well, don't worry. I have a fun plan to get you two together. And as long as you stay right here where Inuyasha can't find you for another..." She checked the time. "hour, everything will go perfectly."

"What do you mean he can't find me here? He could just swim through the tunnel, too. Actually, I'm kinda surprised he didn't..."

"Oh, don't worry about that. The first swimmer coming from that direction triggers a trap door that guides the second swimmer down a different tunnel. I installed it in case either of you got upset about my eavesdropping and decided to give chase."

"So right now he's...?"

"Wandering around outside, thoroughly soaked and thoroughly grumpy, calling your name and getting more and more discouraged. Most likely."

Kagome laughed in spite of herself. "Perfect. Would you like to have some tea with me, then? Maybe with some of those little sandwiches? Sesshoumaru didn't bring my dinner until like 10:30 and I never got to eat it. I'm starving."

"Oh, that sneak. I gave it to him hours ago. He's probably just been waiting for the most inopportune moment to interrupt. He heard my husband and I talking about Inuyasha's plans to kiss you today and you know how brothers enjoy teasing each other. Sibling love is a wonderful thing, isn't it?"

Well, that made things clear. Feeling much more relaxed about everything, Kagome enjoyed a full lovely hour chatting with Izayoi over tea. She heard stories of Inuyasha's childhood, his parents' romance, and their hopes for his future. It was all very interesting, and she was having a wonderful time. Until...

Their tranquil activities were interrupted by frantic pounding at the door. "Mom!" Inuyasha shouted. "Please extend the deadline!"

"Nope."

"But I can't find her! She's completely disappeared! I can't even smell her anywhere and last I saw her she dove in the hot spring! What if she drowned!? And what if... wait, is she in there with you?"

"Hi, Inuyasha!"

"How did you get here!? Come out right now!"

"I dunno, your mom says she has a plan for us that will start in like..."

"A little over a minute."

"Yeah, so I think I'm good."

"No! You don't know what the plan is! It's a terrible plan! You'll hate it!"

"Now it's exactly one minute."

"How could I hate anything your mom does? She's so sweet!"

"Fifty-five seconds."

"You don't know her like I do! She's crafty and sneaky and you don't even know what she's planning! It involves really big dresses!"

"What? Is that true?"

"Forty seconds."

"It is! And you'll have to act all proper again! And dance with a bunch of strange men you don't know and make small talk and meet some parents and you'll also probably have to pretend to laugh at terrible jokes at some point!"

"Wait, this is sounding awful. What exactly is your plan?"

"We're going to have a ball!"

"What!? No!"

"I told you! That's why I've been trying to kiss you all day! She said if I did, she wouldn't have the stupid thing!

Ten seconds!"

"Inuyasha, I didn't know!"

"Nine."

"Let me in!"

"Eight."

"The lock's stuck!"

"Seven."

"Stand back!"

"Six."

"Why?"

"Five."

"I'm going to break it!"

"Four."

"Ok, I'm back! Go!"

"Three."

There was a huge crash as Inuyasha threw himself at the door.

"Two."

"Try harder!"

"One."

The door fell inwards with a dramatic thud, splinters and dust flying everywhere. Inuyasha lay in the middle of the heap, looking miserable.

"You're too late! Looks like we're going to have a party! Also, you're going to have to make me a new door tomorrow. Good night!" And with that she glided happily away.

A/N: So, I love you guys. And you have been reviewing like crazy. Do you even remember my other stories? No? Me neither, because I haven't updated them in so long, because you keep reviewing the crap out of this one. That's why I wrote you this chapter that is TWICE my usual length. I thought about even throwing you an actual kiss, but the thing is I have plans for this ball. But don't worry. You'll get your fluff soon enough. Until then, please review! Love you guys!


	13. Chapter 13

"You missed a spot."

"Sesshoumaru, you are such a bastard," Inuyasha snapped. Then he paused, uncertainly. "Where?"

"Perhaps if you truly wanted to know, you should not have called me such an ugly name. Now you will have to find it yourself."

"You were never going to tell me. In fact, I probably didn't even miss anything."

"You may take the risk, if you choose."

Inuyasha considered it. Then, with a growl of frustration he picked up the sandpaper that he had just put down and began furiously rubbing down the whole damn surface of his mother's new door all over again. Normally, he wouldn't bother. But he needed his mother on his side tonight, because he had no idea what she had planned. That's why he had spent the last three hours perfecting the door that would replace the one he broke, right down to the flower carvings and the handle that looked like a swan. For the last two of those three hours, Sesshoumaru had been standing next to him pointing out every mistake. This day already sucked and he hadn't even gotten to the worst part yet.

"There," he said, standing. "I'm done. Now I'm going to get ready. Would you like to come along and critique my method of getting dressed, or would you perhaps prefer leaving me alone and getting ready yourself?"

"I have been ready for hours. Can you not tell?" Sesshoumaru responded, spreading his arms grandly so Inuyasha could appraise his outfit. He looked fantastic, the bastard.

An hour of frustrating struggle with his stiff and stratchy formal clothes later, and Inuyasha looked fantastic as well. If by fantastic one meant awkward, out of place, and clearly uncomfortable. Also ruffley.

His mother had laid out for him the very worst outfit of all his formal wear, and the only reason he had even thought about putting it on was because he hoped that she was picking it because it matched the dress they she had ordered for Kagome. If they matched, they would look like a couple, and if they looked like a couple maybe all those other single men wouldn't hit on her and he wouldn't have to punch them and then his mother wouldn't have to come up with some even more ridiculous plan to punish him for ruining her ball.

Speaking of balls... it was time.

Drawing in a deep breath to ready himself, Inuyasha headed towards the ballroom with the air of a man walking to an executioner's block. As he turned the last corner before he reached it, he saw Kagome approaching from the opposite end of the hall, and for a moment, the world slowed down. She was wearing a dark purple dress with an outlandishly giant skirt. The bodice was covered in lace and the skirt was embellished with silver embroidery. Truly, she looked beautiful. But it was a kind of beauty that didn't suit her. So Inuyasha told her what he knew she wanted to hear.

"You look dumb."

"Shut up. At least I'm not covered in ruffles," she sounded offended, but the half-smile that graced her face told a different story.

"Fair point. You ready?" he asked, extending his arm to her.

"As ready as I'll ever be," she replied, taking it.

They pushed open the doors. As they entered the ballroom, trumpets sounded and flowers showered them as a couple dozen doves took flight. They both sighed heavily.

"Welcome to the Second Event of the trial! This one is called The Dance of Destiny!"

As before, Inuyashas father applauded from the designated audience section.

"Does he not get to dance?"

"It probably depends on how entertaining we are. If we don't put on a good show, I'm sure she'll cave and dance with him later."

"If you would please take your positions at the front of the dance floor..." Izayoi hinted. They did so, grudgingly. "We can begin! Who's ready to bring in the men!?"

"No one!" Inuyasha shouted back. "No one wants that!"

Blatantly ignoring him, Inuyasha's mother gave the signal to the servants by the doors that led outside. With a dramatic flourish that Inuyasha was sure his mother had made them practice, they flung them open. Immediately, a flood of gentlemen flowed eagerly into the building. And they kept on coming.

"What the!?" Inuyasha spluttered. He had been expecting thirty, maybe forty men. But this was... "How many did you invite?"

"Oh, a couple hundred or so. And everyone came!"

"On one day's notice!?"

"It may have something to do with the fact that I promised half of our fortune to whoever wins Kagome over."

"YOU WHAT!?"

"May the best man win! Have fun, dear!" Izayoi scampered off to join her husband, leaving them to face the hoard alone.

Inuyasha wrapped his arm around Kagomes waist protectively, sizing up the influx of competition headed straight for them.

This night was going to be Hell.


	14. Chapter 14

Kagome's mouth dropped in horror. This was a nightmare. Two hundred men all focused on her, a dress she could barely breathe or move in, and no visible escapes aside from the two entrances that were heavily guarded and locked as soon as everyone was in the building. The room was huge, but Kagome suddenly felt very claustrophobic.

Seeking some small semblance of comfort, she put her hand on Inuyasha's. "We need a plan," she whispered desperately as the tide of men drew nearer.

"No worries. I can kill all the humans easily. The demons will take a bit longer, but I think I can get it done."

"As tempting as that sounds, I'm pretty sure all of these men are rich, which means they all have families that will come after you with armies and weapons to kill you several times over."

"Fine. We'll call it Plan B."

"But what's Plan A? What's Plan A!?" Kagome asked as a group of the faster demons closed in. Within minutes, she was completely surrounded. Inuyasha made a noble effort to hold on to her, but he was quickly swept away by the crowd. And soon everything became a chorus of voices.

"So beautiful!"

"May I kiss your hand?"

"Love your dress."

"I'd like to get to know you better."

"My name is..."

"My family is..."

"The amount of money I have to my name is..."

"How many children would you like?"

Kagome wondered whether she could hide inside of her voluptuous skirts if she crouched down far enough. She'd probably have more personal space in them than out here.

Then she heard Izayoi's bellowing voice again. "We're going to start Phase One now! Everyone please take out your tickets!" There was a general shuffling as the attendees withdrew scraps of paper from whatever pocket or sleeve they had slipped them into. "Numbers one through fifty, please form a circle in the center of the room, about five feet between each of you." They did so, while the rest of the men shuffled quietly to the side. Then Izayoi cheerfully pulled down a curtain in the corner of the room to reveal that a string quartet had been waiting behind it in silence for who knows how long. Once visible, they launched into a slow, mellow waltz.

"And... dance!" Kagome was instantly swept up by the man she assumed was number one, and he wasted no time in launching into a monologue about himself and his personal achievements.

"I am Lord Valdelburg, the son of Lord Valdelburg the first and I have two estates of about thirty acres each. I am adept at horseback riding. I am an excellent hunter. And my friends say I have quite the wit!" He took a moment to laugh in what he most likely thought was a charming way, but to Kagome it was more akin to the braying of a donkey. She followed the steps of the dance flawlessly, since she'd been trained in the waltz since birth, but she very quickly tuned out the ramblings of the man in front of her until it was time to switch. Once fully in the arms of another she took preemptive measures.

"Hello. I am not interested in you. How about we dance in silence?" Wait, that sounded familiar. Hadn't Inuyasha said something similar when they had first met? She was beginning to have some sympathy for what he must have gone through that day.

Unfortunately, the demon in front of her had clearly never been rejected before and was incapable of believing it possible, so he took her comment as a joke and laughed wholeheartedly. If the last dancer's laugh had been a donkey, then this one's was an elephant.

The night wore on. She danced with winkers and droolers and ramblers and over-eager questioners. None ever believed that she was uninterested, despite her best effort to communicate it. After what seemed like an eternity, she found herself waltzing with Inuyasha.

"Thank God it's finally your turn," she said, relaxing into his arms. "I'm having a terrible time. Is this how you felt at the festival? With all the girls you'd never be interested in throwing themselves at you?"

"Yes. Exactly. Until you came in, of course." He drew her even closer. "You were completely different from all the other women."

"And you are completely different from all these men."

"Thank you. But now I have to figure out a way to get us out of this the way I got us out of that."

"Any luck so far?"

"None. And now it's time to switch. But I'll figure something out, Kagome. Trust me."

"I do," she murmured as he reluctantly let her go.

"So Kagome," yet another debonair gentleman said, sweeping in. "Tell me about yourself."

"Oh, let's see... I enjoy kicking people in the shins, spitting, murdering kittens, burning houses to the ground... And yourself?"

"I... none of those things."

"Darn! I guess this isn't a match then."

Another eternity went by. She got to add sleazers, teasers, and wheezers to her list. She didn't actually blame the wheezers for wheezing, though. She'd been dancing for almost an hour and she was exhausted.

Izayoi stood again. "It's time for Phase Two! The meal!" Kagome sighed in relief as her last dance ended and she was able to stand still for a moment. She couldn't wait to sit and eat. It would be relaxing to take the time to... oh no... she knew that glint in Izayoi's eye. This would be no normal dinner.

"Numbers fifty-one through one hundred, please take your seats," Izayoi said, gesturing to the long table laid out to the side of the room. Kagome quickly counted. There were only fifty chairs. Where was she going to sit? In another room by herself? Please?

"Each of you has arranged to have a meal that expresses your personality and favorite foods brought to the table. Kagome will now visit each of you in turn and you will be able to explain the significance to her, then feed her a small portion."

No. No! This was worse than her worst nightmare. Not only did she have to endure more small talk and pick-up lines, but she didn't even get to sit down or feed herself. She gazed morosely at the line of men looking at her eagerly with their plates of prepared food in front of them. If she weren't so damn hungry she'd just let them keep waiting. But unfortunately she needed food badly.

She walked slowly to the first diner and gave him a withering stare. He didn't notice.

"Greetings! This is my mother's specialty. She and I get along so well. I would love for you to meet her. Actually, you look a bit like her... which I like."

"I can't even begin to express to you how pleased I am to hear that. Give me your fork."

"Ah ah ah!" the man tutted. "The rules are that I get to feed you. Open wide!" She stared at him dumbly for a few seconds, then forced herself to obey. He plopped a forkful of vegetables into her mouth. They were a bit overcooked and not at all worth the humiliation. Without saying a word, she moved on.

"Hello! Care for some fresh fish? I caught them myself."

"Really? What kind of bait did you use?"

"What kind of what?"

"Just feed me so I can move on."

"You won't want to move on once you try this! Heeeere comes the fishy!" He swirled the fork before finally placing it in her mouth, a move which Kagome did not at all find amusing.

The third guy fed her with his fingers.

With surprise, Kagome found Inuyasha sitting in the fourth chair.

"Do you have two numbers?" she asked.

"I don't have any numbers."

"Then how...?" He gestured to two very unhappy looking humans tied to a column with some of the ribbons used for decoration.

"I can't take on two hundred armies, but I figure I can probably take on one or two. Besides, you look like you could use a rest again. Would you like my chair?"

Kagome felt a rush of relief as she circled the table to accept. He even handed her his chopsticks. She ate greedily, grinning at him between bites.

"You're the best, you know."

"I know. Eat up. You'll need your stamina for whatever Phase Three is."

Kagome obediently did so until she had slurped down the last noodle and daintily wiped her mouth with a napkin. "I really appreciate this," she said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before scampering back around the table.

She approached the next man with much more confidence.

"Hello! What is this? Potstickers?" She grabbed one and placed it on his head. "Now it's a hat! Bye."


	15. Chapter 15

Inuyasha put a hand to his cheek, trying to preserve the warm feeling that Kagome's kiss had given him. He knew that Kagome viewed her scant minutes with him as breaks for her, but they were actually breaks for him as well. When she wasn't with him and he had to watch her dancing with another guy or eating out of some jerk's fingers, it was extremely difficult to remain calm. None of this was right. She should get to choose who she spends time with, and he wanted more than anything for her to choose him. As she moved to the plate of a man who was very eager to serve her melted chocolate, he felt himself start to lose it again.

He looked away, and instead scanned the hovering masses that were still waiting for their chance with her. One particularly pale man was fidgeting nervously. Perfect.

Inuyasha smoothly darted away from the table until he was standing right in front of his target, who looked up in panic.

"Hello!"

"Greetings..."

"What's your number?"

"I... I don't have to answer that."

"Ok..." Inuyasha snatched it from his hand, grimacing slightly when he noticed how sweaty it was. 159. He glanced back at the table to see that Kagome was nearing the end of it. Glancing back at the man in front of him, he made menacing eye contact. "I don't have time now, but I'll come back for you later."

"That's ok... I'll just go stand by the pole on my own." Even better. Inuyasha pocketed the number and moved on.

His next victim was a frog demon who looked extremely grumpy.

"Having a bad day?" Inuyasha asked, voice dripping with mock sympathy.

"Of course!" he croaked. "My servants didn't give me the right shoes, and I'm in the next group. I know she'll notice and that it will ruin my chances with her. And I was so looking forward to the piles of money..."

Inuyasha grabbed him by the collar and shook him until his ticket fell out. Then he picked it up, yanked another ribbon off the wall and tied the frog with the others.

"Wh... what's going on!?"

"Welcome to the club, mate."

"Consider yourself lucky. I've been here since the first five minutes. And he tried to tie me with my own shirt before he thought of the ribbon."

Inuyasha made eye contact with the quivering mass he had spoken to before and nodded towards the pole. Without any fight, but with a very morose expression, he meekly stood in position to be tied as well.

Once that was all taken care of, Inuyasha turned his attention to the corner his mother was in, waiting for her to stand and announce the next torture. It didn't take long.

"It is time for Phase Three! Numbers one hundred and one through one hundred and fifty, please line up in a single-file line in the center of the dance floor."

Inuyasha checked the frog's ticket. He was dead last. He watched grimly as everyone else formed a line in front of him and his mother dragged Kagome to the very start of it.

"For this phase, we'll all try to loosen Kagome up a bit by giving her a nice back massage! And just for fun, while you're doing that, if you'd like to communicate with the lady, you may do so only in poem form. Begin!"

Inuyasha growled low in his throat as the first man laid his hands on Kagome's bare shoulders. Looks like he'd have about a hundred hands to cut off in retribution at the end of this. Ninety-eight, specifically. He wouldn't be cutting off his own hands.

The line moved extremely slowly. Each man only got a minute to touch her, but each touch drove Inuyasha crazy. He should have gone with his original plan and just slaughtered everyone.

When the wait reached an almost unbearable point, Inuyasha at last found himself at the front of the line. Kagome's back was turned, but he saw her flinch in anticipation of the next pair of hands. Instead of touching her, he leaned forward and whispered,

"I am last in the line

This phase is now done

Soon you'll be fine

For we've almost won

There's one phase to go

Before we are free

Then, as you know,

You can leave with me.

I'm sorry about everything

I hope you'll forgive me

Because my mom is really crazy and there's nothing I can do about it and also I suck at poems."

She laughed, and turned to hug him. They looked into each others' eyes, trying to convey strength to one another. They were so close. There was just one more phase, and whatever it was, they could get through it.

"I have saved something special for those of you in Phase Four!" Izayoi's loud voice interrupted again. "There is of course no better way to know whether there is a connection besides a kiss..."

"Nope! No. That is enough. We're done here." Inuyasha picked Kagome up to remove her from the vicinity of the group of men that was already approaching, and then marched over to his mother, being very careful not to step on the large skirt that was now draped all over and around him. "How. Just tell me how we end this."

"Well, we're not done until Kagome picks someone, dear."

Kagome and Inuyasha looked at each other incredulously, then back at her. "WHAT!?"

"That's all I have to do!?"

"This could have been over in the first five minutes!?

"Well, technically... yes."

Kagome wiggled out of Inuyasha's grip, then turned to the crowed and cupped her hands around her mouth. "Excuse me, room full of delusional gold diggers! I pick Inuyasha. Everyone else go home right now. Thank you!"

"Not so fast." Both Inuyasha and Kagome groaned and turned back around. Izayoi pressed something into Kagome's hand. "You have to crown him the winner, or it's not official."

"Done!" She quickly placed the crown on Inuyasha's head. It was made of flowers, and it was extremely large and ridiculous-looking. Yet Inuyasha had never been more pleased to wear anything in his life. As soon as she let it go, another round of trumpets and petals and doves exploded around them, and there was a collective groan throughout the ballroom. Those missing out on their kisses groaned the loudest.

"Bye everyone! Bye bye! Bye now!" Kagome chirped, waving enthusiastically. Then she pulled Inuyasha in for another hug.

"In truth, I'm glad it was you, Inuyasha. It would have been a shame to give your inheritance to someone else," Izayoi said.

"My inheritance? That's the half of your fortune you were gambling? What if I hadn't won!?"

"Well, obviously we would have disowned you and adopted Kagome and our inheritance would go to her and her husband, dear. I thought that was clear."

"For the record," Sesshoumaru sighed, emerging for the first time from his seat in the audience, "That's the outcome I was hoping for."

"I was always rooting for you, son! I didn't for a second think you'd win, but I'm happy to be wrong. Well done!" Inuyasha's father chimed in, also leaving his audience seat.

"I have the worst family..."

"Well, at least now you've got me," Kagome soothed, smiling up at him.

"Yeah..." Inuyasha smiled back. "I guess I do."


	16. Chapter 16

Kagome spent much of the next day recovering from the trials of the day before. She slept in for the first time since she'd arrived. Actually, it was the first time she was able to sleep in since just about as far back as she could remember. Possibly ever. She wouldn't be surprised if her mother had woken her up at the crack of dawn when she was an infant. It felt good to relax in bed and get up slowly, and the fact that she was able to do so at all showed how comfortable she suddenly was in this crazy household. Yes, the ball had been horrific, but it had fostered in her a trust and camaraderie with Inuyasha that wouldn't have grown so quickly in any other circumstance. That was probably Izayoi's plan all along, the sneaky woman.

The problem, of course, with these new found feelings and bold declarations was that it meant she had to do some thinking. It also meant that she and Inuyasha had to do some talking. She was sure he realized it, too. And if he did... she knew exactly where he'd be.

Finally emerging from bed and throwing on a pair of her new pants, Kagome left her room, grabbed a roll from the breakfast tray outside her door, and wound her way around the castle to Inuyasha's tree.

Once there, she navigated up the branches in a much quicker and more graceful manner than her first try. As she predicted, the hanyou was sitting on the branch he had shown her, staring out at the landscape. She paused when she saw him, knowing he was aware of her presence.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey."

"Mind if I join you?" He shifted so that she could fit, then reached a hand down to her, pulling her up into the same position as before. Even though this was what Kagome had expected him to do, she still couldn't suppress a blush at the proximity. She was at least more comfortable than last time, though, and it wasn't long before she relaxed against him. They sat that way in silence for a few moments, gazing forward together. Kagome passed him half of her roll, and he accepted. Then, surprisingly, he broke the silence first.

"Did you mean what you said yesterday? About choosing me and me having you? Or were you just trying to get out of the ball?"

Kagome bit her lip. It was the former, but she couldn't tell by his tone whether that would be good news to him or not. "That depends," she answered hesitantly. "Did you mean it when you tried to kiss me or were YOU just trying to get out of the ball?"

He didn't respond for a minute. Then, unexpectedly, he tilted her chin upwards and claimed her mouth softly. His other hand wound around her waist and for the briefest of moments he deepened the kiss before drawing back, his fingers still lingering on her face.

"What do you think?"

Kagome tried to catch her breath. "Your mom's not planning another ball, is she?"

"No."

"And she's not threatening you with anything else?"

"No."

"Then..."

"I love you."

"Oh." Unable to help it, Kagome broke into a grin. "I love you, too."

His grin mimicked hers, and they looked at each other shyly before slowly starting to lean in again. Then the moment was shattered by a scream of jubilee from the other side of the castle. The blood drained from Kagome's face.

"Was that your...?"

"Oh God. She knows."

A few tense moments later, Izayoi and her husband came bounding around the corner. Sesshoumaru, who was clearly pulled away from something to partake in this moment, shuffled behind.

"Everyone take out your emergency confetti," Izayoi commanded. Bafflingly, all three of them actually did withdraw scraps of colored paper from their clothes. Inuyasha's parents threw theirs enthusiastically, and Sesshoumaru just dropped his handful dismissively when they weren't looking.

"How, Mom? How? Did you train a parrot to constantly fly back and forth between us and you repeating what it heard?

"Of course not, dear. That would be crazy. Why? What were you just talking about?"

"You don't know?"

"No? What?"

Kagome and Inuyasha exchanged a glance.

"The weather."

"Trees."

"How the weather affects trees."

"Hey, what are we celebrating?"

"Wonderful question!" Izayoi replied, instantly distracted. "We are celebrating the confirmation of the third and final festival event!"

"Oh no."

"No, you'll like this one. Kagome, your parents have just accepted my invitation to stay with us for a couple days! They'll be here tomorrow!"

Kagome's stomach instantly sank. She felt sick. "My parents? Here?"

"In the room right next to yours! Isn't it marvelous!?"

It wasn't. Kagome had finally gotten used to the freedom and acceptance that she experienced here. She was not ready to give it up. Especially considering how little time they had left.

"Wait a second," Inuyasha chimed in. "Did you say third and final? As in, after this you're done? No more over the top events?"

"Well I hardly have time for another one, do I? The trial ends in two days. Can you believe its been almost a week already?"

"What!?" Inuyasha, probably subconsciously, started to grip her harder. "The trial is only a week?"

"Well, yes. Didn't you pay attention during orientation?"

"Of course not! I didn't think I'd meet...her..." He growled, and she felt the vibration against her back. Suddenly, Inuyasha released her and leaped down. "I need to think," he snapped. "And you're all standing around my thinking spot, so I'm going somewhere else."

"Wait!" Kagome cried, doing her best to scramble after him. "Take me with you!". She was feeling just as upset as he was. Possibly more so, since she had to see her parents even sooner than expected.

But he didn't even look at her. "Sorry... But not right now." Just as she was about to reach the last branch before she could jump down, he jumped away and was out of sight in seconds. She stopped forlornly and slumped against the trunk.

There was an awkward pause as everyone in the vicinity tried to figure out how to react to Inuyasha's sudden departure. Sesshoumaru started backing away quietly.

Finally, Izayoi spoke. "Would you like to join me for some tea and cake again, dear?"

Kagome nodded glumly. She had to stock up on sugar now before her mom returned and regulated her diet again. She just hoped there was chocolate. Because if she was going to face The Parents and Inuyasha was going to randomly abandon her right after confessing, then she'd damn well better get some chocolate.


	17. Chapter 17

Inuyasha was in a panic. Two days? He had thought that the trial was a month or so. Maybe a year. But one measly week that was almost over? He didn't exactly know where he was going, but running was making him feel a little better.

He needed a plan. This week had been full of plans, but he needed one last, really big plan to keep his time with Kagome from ending.

Perhaps he could pretend that he lost her. "Oh, Kagome? Yeah, she wandered off a while ago. Sorry about that! Go home!" No, they'd send out search parties. What if he challenged them to a duel, winner take all? From what Kagome described, it wouldn't be much of a fight. But would she be upset about him murdering her parents? Inuyasha was unsure. He put that one in the maybe pile.

Discouraged by his lack of quality ideas, Inuyasha skidded to a stop. It was possible that his brain didn't work as well in motion. Somehow, while he was thinking, he had ended up in the middle of town. People were milling around him, shopping and talking. Some were looking at him strangely because of his sudden entrance. He looked around uncertainly, as if hoping for a sign. Then his gaze landed on a jewelry shop.

He walked towards it hesitantly, suddenly even more conscious of the people watching him. There were necklaces, bracelets and...rings.

Yes. That was what he had to do. He didn't know when he would get the opportunity or how he would convince her, but some way and somehow, he was going to ask that girl to marry him.

"Excuse me," he said, approaching the man behind the counter. "I would like an engagement ring."

"That's fabulous!" The man replied flamboyantly, flinging his hands into the air. "What kind?"

"Um...the engagement kind. I thought I said that."

"Yes, but what kind of engagement ring?"

"Is there...more than one kind?"

The store owner's face drained of color. He put his hand to his heart in shock. "My dear boy...you don't mean to tell me that you have no idea of her tastes and preferences at all? But what metal? What stone? What size? What karat? What cut? What clarity? What color? What style? Do you know nothing?"

"I know that... She'll probably wear it on her finger. Does that help?"

"Sit down, my boy," the man commanded ominously. "We have a lot of work to do."

It was quite some time before Inuyasha was permitted to leave. Much of the instruction he received was excruciatingly detailed, and some was actually embarrassing. To determine size, he had been forced to enlist the help of passing women, who were all too eager to hold his hand to determine whether their fingers felt like Kagome's. It was especially uncomfortable that the woman whose hands came closest was a sprightly middle aged woman with a penchant for winking. All in all, though, he walked away with a ring he thought she might like. It was gold with a diamond in the middle, then one more on each side in what he now knew was a pear cut. He liked that cut because it reminded him of an arrowhead. He just hoped she liked it, too. And that she wasn't too upset with him for disappearing for most of the day.

"Inuyasha, I am going to rip out your intestines and strangle you with them!" Well, so much for that. Kagome, who had clearly been waiting impatiently on the front steps for his return, stood as he approached and gave him a heated glare. His ears instantly flattened against his head.

"That was a very specific and frightening threat."

"I had a while to come up with it. Where have you been?" she demanded.

"I...town?"

"And what were you doing there for the last several hours?"

"I was...uh...hunting down the devil cat?"

"Oh really? And did you get him?"

"No..." He hung his head forlornly and she scowled. Then she sighed heavily.

"Well, never mind. There's no point worrying about it now. I've packed your things; let's go."

"Go?"

"You want more time together, right? Well that's not going to happen with my parents around. Trust me. So let's just go live in the woods for a couple days. Yes? It'll be fun! Like camping. I packed clothes for me, clothes for you, my bow, a bunch of tiny sandwiches and chocolates from the tea I had with your mother..."

"Woah, woah, woah." He grabbed her arm as she started reaching into the bag to show him more. "We can't just run away."

"Sure we can. Listen, once my parents are here, we won't have a chance to breathe, much less interact. If we don't run away now then tonight will be the end of our time together. Is that what you want?"

Obviously, it wasn't. But the only reason Inuyasha wasn't jumping at the chance to run away from it all and camp out with Kagome was because no matter how awful her parents were, he wanted them to be his in-laws. He doubted they'd approve if he took their daughter to live in a filthy forest so he didn't have to meet them. And besides, he needed to ask them for permission. But he didn't want to tell Kagome that now, here, in the middle of a fight.

Unfortunately, she took his silence very differently. After one too many seconds ticked by, she threw the bag she had packed at him and raced back into the house.

"Kagome, wait!"

Without turning, she cast a quick barrier in the hallway. It wasn't strong, and it couldn't hold him for long, but it delayed him long enough that she made it to her room. He heard the slam of the bolt quite clearly.

Though the barrier had faded, he stood frozen for a couple extra seconds, wondering whether to pursue her further. She clearly didn't want to talk to him right now. Then again, it was equally clear that she was misunderstanding his feelings. He knew that she had come up with this plan with the same motivation that he had had in contemplating losing her or killing her parents. They both wanted more time. He started to take a hesitant step forward when a familiar scent filled the air. He retreated. Now was definitely not the right moment. When he told her how he felt, he didn't want any meddling intrusions, and one was heading right for him.

"Hi, Mom."

"Hello, dear! Another day has gone by! Have you kissed her yet?"

He sighed heavily. "Yes, Mom. Ok? Yes."

She gasped as if he had just announced that he was a woman. "I had thought all hope was lost! But... but I'm all out of emergency confetti! I knew I should have hidden extras around the house. One of the places I was thinking about was that lamp right there!" She gestured.

"Save it. She's mad at me now."

"Because you kissed her?"

"No, because I didn't want to live in the woods."

"Is that... a euphemism?"

"What would that be a euphemism for?"

"...Drugs?"

"Yup. You got me."

"I knew something had to be wrong with her. Well, dear, relationships are about compromise, and if it's really important to her..."

"Mom!"

"I'm just saying! You're not going to find another girl like her! You've got to hold on to her, whatever it takes!"

He growled. "I know." And he fervently hoped that he would get that opportunity soon. But as his mother continued lecturing him, he knew it wouldn't be that night. He would have to wait and see what tomorrow would bring.


	18. Chapter 18

Kagome dressed as one condemned, putting each article of clothing on with the solemnity that a knight would have when donning pieces of armor. A day ago, she had been eager to prolong her time here. Now she just wanted to get through the next two days as quickly as possible. She didn't know why Inuyasha had kissed her, and she definitely didn't know why he had said he loved her, but everything that had happened since that moment made it clear to her that he had not been sincere. He'd left her, refused to run away with her, failed to deny that he wanted no more time with her, and then barely pursued when she fled. Sure, she had put up a barrier out of anger, but once it dropped, he could have kept trying. He could even have come back later when she had had a chance to cool down. Yet he did nothing. Clearly, he didn't feel the way she did.

And that was fine. She didn't need or expect every guy to fall for her. If she wasn't wanted, then she was perfectly capable of bowing out gracefully. She had spent the evening packing. All she needed to do was make it through a couple days of meaningless pleasantries and she would be on her way and they could all forget about this week.

Taking a deep breath, she glanced out the window. It was dawn. Her body had reverted to old habits. In fact, not only had she awoken at her typical hour, but her back was ramrod straight, her chin was high, and her face was devoid of any expression. It was like her whole physical form was aware of and guarding against her mother's presence. Still, she was sure it wouldn't be enough. She pushed open the door.

"Toes pointed forward. Hands folded gracefully. Shoulders back. Eyes downcast. And smile, for goodness sake."

Kagome fell into the corrections with ease. She had had practice. "Hello, Mother."

"Daughter. That's better," she responded, visibly relaxing as if some great crisis had been averted. Of course, "relaxing" was a relative term for Kagome's mother. She was still rigidly poised. At least, she was until she leaned forward conspiratorially and whispered with girlish glee, "So tell me about this boy. He sounds perfect for you!"

"You said the same thing about the guy I punched in the face. Right after I told you that I had punched him in the face."

"Yes, he was charming. I just don't know why you two couldn't have worked it out..."

"Because he snapped my bow in half, which I couldn't forgive. And also because I punched him in the face. And he stormed out. And then for months he got all of his servants to harass our servants and they took it out on us and served all our meals cold until we formally apologized."

"But he had soooo much money!"

"Not anymore. He lost it all gambling."

"Yes,well, obviously he's not a match for you NOW..."

"Right. Shall we go eat breakfast? I'm sure it will be hot. Inuyasha is just rolling in cash."

"How delightful!" she squealed, clapping her hands enthusiastically. Kagome started to smirk at her obvious approval, then remembered with a cold feeling in the pit of her stomach that it didn't matter. She wouldn't be staying.

When they entered the dining room together, it was clear that everyone had been dragged out of bed much earlier than they were used to. Izayoi was daintily slapping herself in the face, her husband was staring dazedly into his teacup, and if she wasn't mistaken, Sesshoumaru had managed to fall back asleep in a formal sitting position, his eyes hidden behind his bangs. Inuyasha was sprawled back in his chair, the picture of a petulant child pouting. He snapped to attention when he saw, her, though. In an instant, he was on his feet and headed towards her. She didn't want to talk to him right at that moment, but she wasn't worried. He'd never make it.

As Kagome expected, her mother darted in front of her eagerly and intercepted his path.

"Inuyasha, I presume? Why, look at you! What a handsome specimen of a man you are! And your clothes! Do you happen to know the cost of this shirt off-hand? Oh never mind, I can guess. And I'm very impressed!" As her mother chortled merrily, Kagome glided by. Her appraisal of him wouldn't be ending anytime soon, and she was hungry.

Without being fully aware of her actions, Kagome sat in the proper way, sweeping her skirts elegantly and crossing her ankles. Izayoi gave her an inquisitive stare. Up until that point she had been sitting comfortably. Suddenly self-conscious, Kagome flicked a piece of her porridge into Sesshoumaru's bangs to prove that she was still herself.

"Kagome!" her mother exclaimed in horror. She should have known. At least the porridge had stuck and hadn't woken him. That would serve as her amusement for the meal.

After she demurely muttered an apology, earning more stares from her dining companions, everyone took their seats. Inuyasha was still trying to get her attention, but she ignored him, and it wasn't long before her mother's chatter made any other conversation impossible anyway. By the end of the meal, the woman had estimated the value of everything Inuyasha was wearing, the table setting, and the food she was served. She was just starting in on the value of the boy's hair, should he ever want to sell it, when Izayoi interrupted.

"May I ask... where is your husband this morning?"

"Oh, he never gets up this early."

"What?" Sesshoumaru said coldly. Evidently, he had woken up and just hadn't chosen to move or speak. "This was not mandatory?" Without another word, he rose and strode out of the room. After a few moments of silence, his father stumbled after him.

Inuyasha looked to her to see if she would be leaving, too. He looked ready to pounce if she did. But she wasn't going to give in that easily. "May I have some more of this delicious tea?"she asked, lifting her cup daintily. He visibly slumped.

"Yes, it's lovely!" her mother interjected. "From the East, I'd guess? One of the more expensive teas out there, I happen to know." Kagome settled back and let her mother's commentary wash over her. Just two more days. She could make it.

"Sit up straight, dear."

It wouldn't be easy. But she could. And she would. And then she'd be gone.

A/N: So guys. I've been toying with an idea. When this story wraps up, would you be interested in a sequel in which Sesshoumaru agrees to go to the festival? I feel like that would be interesting. I've never written anything from his perspective, so it would be a challenge for me, but I'm up to it if you guys want to read it. Thoughts?


	19. Chapter 19

For the seventeenth time in the course of his "morning stroll" with his festival match and her mother, Inuyasha creased his brow in worry. Something was wrong with Kagome. She was acting like a robot, she refused to acknowledge him, and her every action and word was prim, proper, and totally distant. Basically, she was acting nothing like herself, and Inuyasha didn't like it. He had tried communicating with her. Her mother was walking slightly in front of them monologuing about his family's extensive grounds, so he did his best to get her attention as subtly as possible. When his whispers and attempted eye contact went unnoticed, he resorted to nudges. When that failed, he tried quietly throwing leaves at her to get her attention. They bounced off. So did twigs. So did handfuls of bark. He was just reaching for a rock when she finally whipped around and hissed, "Leave me alone!" Well that was encouraging. At least there was some fire in her eyes.

Reassured that his Kagome was inside the robot somewhere, Inuyasha smirked and bowed gallantly. "As you wish." Then he bounded ahead to catch up with Kagome's mother. Since it was clear that RoboKags was just a mask and not a full-on possession, he could only conclude that said mask was inspired by her mother's presence, and that was easy enough to take care of. He'd ask for her hand today, get this whole thing moving along, and then the two of them could be alone and normal for...well, the rest of their lives. As he fell easily into stride with the woman in question, he delicately interrupted her speech with the words, "I wondered if I might steal a moment with you and Kagome's father alone today."

She immediately stopped talking and turned to him with wide eyes. Then, before even a second had passed, she latched on to his arm with a vice-like grip and started sprinting. "No time like the present! I wouldn't want you to change your mind! Let's talk now! Kagome will find her own way back, I'm sure!"

"But...but isn't your husband sleeping?" Inuyasha spluttered, stumbling alongside her at the speed that to him was a mere jog.

"For this, we can wake him!"

"For what? You don't even know what I want to talk about!"

The woman suddenly skidded to a stop. Before he could adjust to the change of pace, she wheeled him around to face her and yanked him down to her height by his hair, before saying with a menacing tone, "Don't I? Or are you going to waste my time?"

Inuyasha gulped. "Well, I... I guess you probably do." Kagomes mother shrieked and clapped her hands, then resumed the grabbing and the running. Inuyasha had braced himself for it that time, so he settled into an easy trot next to her, passively admiring the pace the woman managed to maintain despite her voluminous skirts. Maybe Kagome wasn't as different from her mother as she thought. When they reached the quarters the couple was staying in, Kagome's mother shoved him into a chair and rapidly fired off the polite queries expected of a noblewoman entertaining guests.

"So good of you to come may I get you tea or coffee how do you take it cream sugar have a scone jam or butter or both you're looking well I'll be right back."

Inuyasha looked drearily at the pile of food, drink and condiments that somehow appeared on his lap as she talked. He raised the teapot suspiciously. It was the perfect temperature. And there wasn't even anything to heat it anywhere in the room. Was Kagome's mother a witch? He took a bite of the scone. It was warm, as if it had just been made. Yes, probably a witch. A witch with only powers of hospitality.

He didn't like tea or coffee but he thought it might be rude to decline. After some deliberation, he made up a cup of chamomile the way Kagome liked it, or at least the way she had it every morning. Lots of cream, no sugar.

After a moment, he heard a scraping noise. Finally, a chair peeked through the door.

Inuyasha tilted his head, tea forgotten. After more scraping, it was clear that a slumbering and snoring man was reclining in the chair. Kagome's father? He craned his neck to see. More scraping and several minutes later, and his wife appeared behind him, straining to push the chair into view. Once it was sufficiently in the room, she pulled up another chair behind it, then sat in it primly.

"Now then. What would you like to talk to us about?"

"Uh...shouldn't we wait until he's awake?"

"What do you mean? He is."

"He's snoring..."

"That's just the noise he makes when he's happy to see someone. He likes you!"

"Listen, there's no rush, I could come back later..."

"No! Who knows what she'll do to change your mind before then! For the love of God, spit it out!"

"Ok... well... you know that your daughter and I have been spending a lot of time together..."

"I said spit it out, not "please pause as much as possible and give me a ton of background information..."

"May I have your daughter's hand in marriage?" Inuyasha blushed heavily once he heard himself say it out loud, but was proud that he hadn't stuttered. The words hung dramatically in the air.

Kagome's mother put a finger to her chin and stayed silent for a moment. "Hm...I'll have to think about it."

"What!?"

"Just kidding! Welcome to the family! That is, if its alright with my husband, of course." She kicked his chair, causing his head to bob in something resembling a nod. "Looks like he's on board! The wedding will be Friday, a week from yesterday. Wear white or powder blue. I'll need your guest list by Tuesday. Now go get the bride-to-be and send her in here so I can tell her the good news."

Before he fully knew what was happening, Inuyasha found himself shoved outside of the suite. As if on cue, Kagome rounded the corner, panting and glaring. "Why did you and my mother suddenly run away from me like that?" she demanded. "Did you mean to make me get lost? Because that's what happened! Why do all of your trees and stretches of grass look exactly the same!? You should... dye some of them different colors! Or something!"

He smiled at her. She was cute when she was out of breath.

And she may be mad or doubting him now, but in just a moment his real intentions would be clear to her and nothing else would come between them again. Without dropping his smile, he handed her the tea he had managed to continue clutching as he was hurried into the hall. Still glaring, but obviously needing the hydration, she took a wary sip, then raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"It's perfect."

"Good. I think your mom wants to talk to you about something." He nodded his head towards the room he had just emerged from. She eyed it warily, then brushed past him, sparing him one last confused glance before she disappeared completely inside.

Inuyasha leaned against the wall to wait, still unable to stop grinning. He pictured Kagome bursting out of the door any second and into his arms. Then all they'd have to do was endure one week of separation, then one (probably ridiculous and over the top) wedding, and they'd get to be together and left to themselves for the rest of their lives. Well, as "left to themselves" as they could be, considering their parents.

He pictured them sparring together, waking up next to each other, caring for their pups... The door opened slowly, and his head snapped up. But it wasn't Kagome who stepped out. Her mother stood before him, regret written all over her face.

"I'm sorry, dear... She said no."

"What? Why?"

"I'm afraid she's going to marry someone else."

And just like that his world shattered.

A/N: Sorry about my disappearing act. And as usual, no promises about the future. I'll try not to leave you on this cliffie for too long, though. This chapter is dedicated to FoodFanatic for so earnestly pulling me out of my slump. Cheers!


	20. Chapter 20

Kagome sank back into her chair as her mother quietly closed the door, shutting Inuyasha out. The room was silent.

She took another sip of her tea, savoring the taste but stopping just short of finishing the whole cup. Then she held it in her lap, waiting for her mother to speak first. She didn't have to wait long.

"Well, dear, I can't say I'm not disappointed that you chose not to accept Inuyasha, but I'm glad that you are at least being reasonable about your next course of action."

"You didn't exactly give me much choice."

"Well, I never do, but you usually make such a fuss before you accept that. I'm glad you finally see that I know what's best."

Kagome didn't respond. She had nothing to say. Actually, she was having trouble summoning up any sort of emotion at all about her present predicament. Just a few hours ago she had been looking forward to going home, trying to get over Inuyasha and the free and exhilarating week they had shared, and finding solace in the fact that at least she had finally won independence from her parents.

Then her mother told her that Inuyasha had asked for her hand in marriage.

For one moment, just one tiny moment in time, Kagome had felt truly happy. She thought that somehow she had misinterpreted all of his signals in the last few days, and that in actuality they were on the same page. She thought that maybe he loved her, too. Thankfully, that moment passed and she remembered that his proposal was always part of the plan. From day one, they had agreed upon it. It wasn't an indication of his feelings or he would have asked her herself, not gone through her parents. The disappointment and embarrassment she felt upon remembering that fact surprised her in its intensity. Thank goodness she hadn't accidentally consented and then had to endure him telling her to her face that he wasn't serious. She didn't think she could handle it.

All these thoughts had swirled in her mind as she woodenly communicated her refusal to her eager mother. So when her mother pursed her lips and told her that she had hoped the whole thing would turn out differently, but that she hadn't been serious when she made the bet at all and Kagome was getting married that Friday one way or another, Kagome didn't respond with her usual fire. She barely responded at all. If she couldn't be with Inuyasha, did it really matter who she married? She had dreamed once of being single, but what was the point? Her mother would never stop pushing. Marriage really was the only way to get out from under her thumb. So she had muttered a defeated acceptance, her mother had delivered the news to a probably less-than-shocked Inuyasha, and now they were all just sitting in uncomfortable silence. Kagome tried one last time to assess her inner emotions and see if she had any fight left in her. She knew that the way she was acting wasn't like her. But she found nothing. She only felt empty and just a little sad. Better get used to this, then.

"What's his name?"

"Kouga." Kagome thumbed through her mental images of the proper gentleman she had met through the years, but the name didn't ring a bell.

"How old is he?"

"Roughly your age." Well, that was a relief.

"Wealthy, I assume?"

"Four castles and he's the leader of a whole clan!" Great. A young man suddenly in charge of everything. He'd probably be bossy and full of himself.

"What's he like?"

"Oh, well, charming and handsome with a wonderful personality..."

"Those are all things you say about a guy when he's rich. I already know he's rich. Is he quiet or loud? Social or reclusive? Does he have a temper? Does he treat women with respect?"

"Oh, those are all details. I'm sure you'll learn them eventually."

"You don't know, do you? Have you even met him? Met one of his friends or family members? Seen a portrait?"

"The way his servant was standing when he delivered the proposal let me know immediately that his employer was well-liked and compassionate."

"And also charming and handsome with a wonderful personality?"

"Don't mock. A woman has her ways of knowing."

"Yes, and I'm sure your way was looking at the size of the dowry he was offering."

Her mother studied her expression, trying to figure out if she was joking or insulting her. Kagome sighed. She'd already decided not to fight it all. She should be nice. So, plastering on a big, fake smile and making her eyes look all misty by resisting the urge to blink, Kagome asked in the gushiest voice she could muster, "And what will the wedding be like?"

Instantly, her mother perked up and launched into a tireless enumeration of every detail. Kagome chimed in with the occasional "Yes, obviously we should ask all the guests to wear the same exact shade so they don't clash", "No, I don't think it's impractical to let everyone take home a pair of turtledoves as their favor. What could go wrong?" or "I'd be happy to cut the cake from the balcony. If's it's a story high it only makes sense." For the most part, though, she tuned the details out. She was sure the wedding would be garish and awful. But she was equally sure it didn't matter. Not if she couldn't have Inuyasha.

Eventually, her mother ran out of lace-covered items to describe. It took an hour or two, but it finally happened.

"...and that's when the horse-drawn carriage completely covered in feathers will whisk you away."

"Is that all? It's just covered in feathers?"

"And so are the horses."

"Of course."

"And the driver."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

"And there will be a couple of feather hats for you two to put on when you get inside."

"If only I didn't have to wait until then to wear it!"

"You want to put it on earlier? That can be arranged..."

"No, that's not... I just mean that it all sounds lovely."

"It does, doesn't it?" Kagome's mother settled herself back in her chair with an air of satisfaction. But the relaxation didn't last long. In a moment she was up again and bustling around. "Well, there's no time like the present to begin! I have so many outfits for you to try on, so much to organize..." She headed for the door. "I'll just let them know that we're leaving and we can be home and working on it by tonight. Go pack; I'll be back in ten minutes!"

Kagome swallowed hard, trying to push down a sudden lump in her throat. Even though she knew it was best to leave, and even though she'd been looking forward to it ever since she realized how Inuyasha felt, Kagome still felt a twinge of despair when her mother suggested they depart. It was hard knowing that she'd soon walk away from this house forever. It already felt like home. The whole family had been so kind to her. And Inuyasha...

Suddenly, her father sat up with a start. "What's going on? Why am I in a chair?" He glanced around the room quickly before his gaze landed on Kagome. "Hello, dear. You look down. And I'm in a chair. Has your mother been meddling again?"

Kagome nodded slowly.

"Ah, well. She means only the best. You know that, right?"

Kagome paused before nodding again.

"Good girl. Now help me up. It's time I met this lovely family."

"We're actually leaving in about ten minutes..."

He blinked at her.

"...Dim the lights, then. Ten minutes is plenty of time for a nap."


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: This chapter is a little different in that it switches perspectives back and forth instead of focusing on only one or the other. I hope it won't be too confusing. So when you see this:

...it means we've switched. Got it? Great! Read on...

(Edit: I've tried editing this several times to get a symbol that shows up. If this one doesn't, then I give up and you'll have to figure out when the perspective switches all by yourselves)

"...Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha rolled over in bed uninterestedly, not even opening his eyes in response to his mother's pleading voice and hesitant knocking.

"Dear, you haven't left your room in days..."

And why should he? So he could walk around the castle that was once only his but was now instead completely haunted by memories of her? His room only had one memory. This bed was one of the stops on The Saga of the Almost Kisses. When he lay here, all he could think about was her sitting across from him and looking at him so innocently, like she had no idea how badly he wanted to put his mouth on hers. He had been so close, too. But he had failed. He had failed to kiss her here and he had failed to keep her. And now she was off marrying some other guy.

But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was that she had told him that she would only marry for love. And it wasn't likely her mother had smuggled in some suitor that had won her over in the minutes between his proposal and her decision. No, he must have met her and wooed her and won her before she had ever even set eyes on Inuyasha. The whole time he had known her, she must have loved someone else.

Inuyasha's gut twisted again just thinking about it. Every glance, every touch, every laugh... they had always belonged to someone else. And it made sense. Why else had she tried so hard to win her independence from her parents? This guy she was marrying must be someone they otherwise wouldn't approve of, like a servant or a villager. Some poor lucky bastard that she met with in secret and kissed and plotted with and loved.

Sometimes Inuyasha pictured meeting this mystery man. He had so much to ask him. How did you win her? How did you keep her? How does it feel now, knowing that she's yours forever? But Inuyasha couldn't ask those questions, not even in his mind. Because every time he pictured meeting him, the very next thing he pictured was plunging his claws into the faceless man's flesh over and over until he was nothing but a pile of bloody chunks.

Inuyasha turned over again. Yes, he would stay in here forever.

Suddenly, his door shattered. Inuyasha scrambled into a sitting position in time to see Sesshoumaru standing ominously amongst the hunks of wood that clattered to the floor around him. He barely got out a "What...?" before his brother materialized by his bed, picked him up by the collar and threw him across the room. He landed hard against the wall, crushing a set of shelves under him as he fell.

"What was that for!? Do you really think violence is the best way to snap me out of my depression?"

"No. Why? Are you depressed?"

Inuyasha quirked a brow. "You weren't trying to beat me to my senses?"

"No."

"Then why the heck did you throw me into a wall!?"

"I was bored. You've been quiet lately."

"I've been locked in my room!"

"That explains it." Without another word, Sesshoumaru walked casually out of the destroyed door frame. Behind him, Izayoi entered timidly.

"Thanks, dear!" she called to her eldest son's retreating back. He raised a hand in acknowledgment, but did not turn around. Izayoi smiled, then quickly turned back to her youngest and frowned. "You are pathetic."

"Thank you, mother. I love you, too."

"I know you want to marry her. Yet you didn't say a thing when she left. You didn't try to stop her at all. And then you crawled up here to sulk instead of following her. And now I get _this_ in the mail." She threw something at him. The something made a big fuss about being thrown, flapping about and making a huge racket while feathers fell off of it ...a bird?

Inuyasha snatched it. In impossibly neat calligraphy, a wedding invitation was transcribed on its wings. He growled furiously seeing her name in print next to someone else's. At least now he knew what the mystery man was called. Kouga. What a disgusting name. But...

"What can I do? She loves someone else."

"Did she tell you that?"

"Well... not exactly..."

"And you didn't think it was maybe worthwhile to double check?"

Inuyasha faltered. "What do you mean? What else could it be?"

"That sounds like something you should be asking Kagome."

He flinched when he heard her name. No one had said it since she left. He had tried not to even think it. But his mother was right. If there was even a chance that there was another interpretation to what had happened, then he would do everything he could to find out what it was. He had to know how she felt and why she was doing this. He needed to hear it from her. Even if it tore his heart apart.

He took off running.

...Only to be slammed to a halt by his brother's arm. Apparently Sesshoumaru had not left at all.

"Thanks again, dear," Izayoi chirped. His brother nodded.

"What now?" Inuyasha whined.

"Take a bath first. She'll never take you back looking and smelling like that."

"Right..."

Kagome stared into the full-length mirror in front of her, trying desperately to drown out the chaos ensuing just outside of her bedroom door. Her mother had gone all out. Everything was white and sparkling. Many things were covered in ice, including the staircase Kagome would soon have to walk down. Or fall down, depending on how well her heels held up. She was not hopeful that they would hold up well. Fortunately, she had been able to talk her mother down to something fairly reasonable for the rest of her attire. She was wearing a floaty, gauzy sort of dress. She was also wearing the feather hat her mother had described, but at least it wasn't the thirty foot veil she had originally planned.

The wedding preparations and negotiations had taken up most of her time in the last few days. She hadn't even slept much. The work had been a relief. But now that it was all done and everything had been put in place, now that she was standing in the silence of her room waiting to walk down the aisle, Kagome had a moment to stop and think and feel the dread sinking into her stomach. This was a mistake. She should have talked to Inuyasha, fought her parents, done anything to stop this madness. Thinking about the lifetime commitment she was about to consent to made her sick. She desperately wished she had someone to talk to that would understand. All of her bridesmaids were in the room with her, but unfortunately they were a flock of swans. Thus far they had not been helpful.

Just as she began contemplating making a jump for the tree outside her window, her door burst open. She whipped around, absolutely terrified that she was too late and that it was time. But it wasn't her mother who filled the frame. Kagome started in shock. "Inuyasha...?"

It had been a long run. And when he finally reached the mansion where Kagome lived, it had been one giant obstacle course to find and reach her room. He had flailed and fallen on multiple tracks of ice, he had frightened and fled through multiple flocks of birds, and he had fought and forced his way past multiple squadrons of guards. Finally, when he stood in the right door, Inuyasha found it hard to catch his breath. But that had nothing to do with the trek. Kagome was stunning. The swans around her were startled by his entrance and flapping around the room frantically, but she stood amongst them staring at him with wide and beautiful chocolate eyes. Her dark hair fell freely around her shoulders, accentuated by a cascade of feathers that made her seem more like an angel than a woman. The sheer dress fluttered around her curves sweetly. She was an ethereal vision.

"Don't get married," he commanded forcefully. "Don't. Unless you marry me."

He didn't have another second to think before her arms were around his neck and her lips were on his. For a moment, he froze. This was not at all the reception he was expecting. He had expected anger or tears or awkward speeches about it being her and not him. But he was not about to argue.

_Come on, mouth! This is your moment!_

Inuyasha returned her kiss with a passion. His tongue slid between her lips and his hands ran along her back and into her hair as he tried to press their bodies as close together as possible. He allowed himself to get lost in the taste and feel of her. In response, she arched into him and deepened the kiss even further. It was hard to say if they remained locked together for ages or only seconds. Time seemed not to have any meaning at all. But finally, with a groan, he pulled away. He was panting, but at least she was, too.

"What about Kouga?" he asked darkly.

"Who?"

"Your fiancee?"

"Oh. Eh."

"Eh!?"

"He was making out with some chick named Ayame in a closet last I saw him. I'm not concerned about his feelings."

"He's not your long-harbored love?"

"Not even close." Inuyasha grinned goofily.

"Alright then, where were we?"

"Wait. Why did you spend so much time avoiding me if you love me?"

"I wasn't! I only left you alone to get this..." He extracted the ring he had bought and held it out to her as evidence. "And I didn't run away with you because I wanted to ask for your parents' permission to marry you. Why did you say no when I did?"

"I thought you were only asking because of our original agreement! I figured if you really meant it you would have asked me directly."

"Well, that's easily remedied." Inuyasha knelt to one knee, holding the ring out in front of him. "Kagome... Please, please, will you put me out of the misery I've been in since you left? Will you stay with me forever as my wife? Will you... marry me? Today? Here? Now?"

"God, yes!" She eagerly tore off the ring she was wearing and tossed it over her shoulder, extending her hand for its new and permanent adornment. Inuyasha slid the ring on gently, relieved that his size estimation seemed to be correct. Then he stood and pulled her into his arms again.

But before they could resume their kissing, they were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Kagome? It's all ready. But have you seen Kouga? I can't find him anywhere!"

"Don't worry, Mom. I'll send the groom down. Change of plans, though. It's Inuyasha."

There was a pause.

"He hasn't lost his fortune or been disowned or anything, has he?"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "No, Mother..."

"Then I'm thrilled! See you down there!" She left with a rustle of skirts. Inuyasha was sure from the noise she made that her outfit must be voluminous. He waited a moment until he was sure they were alone again, then gave Kagome a playful peck on the lips. "I should get in position, too. See you at the altar," he said with a wink.

After he left, Kagome hurried over to the mirror again to return her newly mussed hair to its original state. Last time she had looked into it, the girl staring back had been wan and pale. Now she was glowing, blushing, and exuberant. Was this really happening? Kagome couldn't remember ever being so happy in her life.

Eager to start the ceremony, she flitted out the doorway. Once in the hallway, however, she paused. Turning away from the staircase, she skipped down the hall to a certain occupied closet. The hard breathing she heard let her know that its inhabitants were exactly how she left them. She grinned and stepped forward to lock it.

"Kouga, I don't think this is going to work out," she called through the door. "But I hope you two do! I'll let you out after the wedding's over, so feel free to enjoy your time together! Talk about your future!"

Then she skipped back to her room.

"Come on, bridesmaids! It's showtime." She flapped her arms around until every swan in the room made a run for it, then she herded them towards the staircase. They went down, but not without a considerable amount of squawking and falling and flapping around. The musicians tried to play an appropriate tune to accompany their descent but that only made the whole spectacle more comical.

"I don't much want to try that, do you?" her father asked, appearing beside her.

"No. I have a better idea." She gestured towards the equally iced banister. Her father, who had always been much more open to defying what was proper than her mother was, grinned and offered her his hand. She took it and together they slid down to the aisle, creating another frenzy among the swans at the base. Laughing, Kagome threaded her arm through her fathers, cued the flustered musicians, and began to walk down the aisle towards the love of her life.

Inuyasha couldn't take his eyes off of her. Her staircase slide was just so very her and it made him laugh. But once she looked him in the eye and started floating towards him, even more gorgeous now that she was in the middle of this magically white and crystal room, he couldn't laugh. He couldn't even breathe. She was so beautiful. And she was his. All his.

A/N: Yaaayyy! They got married. Did you guys like it? You were all so worried. It was a little funny. I was reading all your Very Concerned comments thinking "They know this is a romance/comedy, right? They should probably assume that it's going to work out." I'm glad you got into the drama, though. Anyway... this is my goodbye now. At least for this story. You can still read my others, and I may yet write a sequel to this one, so don't leave me altogether, but this story has come to an end. I want to thank everyone for their feedback and support. I really, honestly appreciate it.. Now keep it up and tell me what you think of the ending! It's the first one I've ever written so please review!

(...if you review a lot, I'll probably write an epilogue about the honeymoon. No lemons or anything, but you'll at least get to see a bit more of their lives. Up to you. Review if you want it!)


	22. Epilogue

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" Izayoi demanded ominously.

Inuyasha and Kagome exchanged a nervous glance.

"I said... we got married!" the new groom repeated. "Why are you not happy?"

Izayoi seemed to grow a couple feet in a matter of seconds. Rationally, the couple knew that she couldn't possibly have. And yet she was so clearly towering over them, glowering heatedly down her nose at their shrinking forms. Finally she spoke with a deadly calm. "After everything that I've done for you, after I all but arranged this match FOR you, you didn't stop to think that perhaps I would enjoy being PRESENT at the only marriage one of my children is likely to have?"

"Sesshoumaru could get married..." Inuyasha tried.

Izayoi scoffed.

"Yeah, you're right..."

"We are so, so sorry, Izayoi," Kagome interjected, gearing up for an eloquent apology speech.

"Oh, don't worry, dear. I'm not mad at you. I'm sure it was all my son's idea. Welcome to the family! Call me 'Mom'."

"Oh, Mom! I'm so glad you understand! I told him we shouldn't, but he just didn't listen!"

"Traitor..." Inuyasha muttered.

At that moment, the patriarch of the family entered the room hastily.

"I got your summons. What's happened?"

"They got married!"

"So soon? Is she pregnant?" Inuyasha's father asked hopefully.

Izayoi quirked an eyebrow and looked at Kagome expectantly.

"What? No!"

Both parents sighed heavily.

"Try harder next time, son."

"Wh!? Next time? Do you think we've..." He blushed. "We haven't!"

"No? Well there's no time like the present!"

An awkward silence covered the room.

"Not here, obviously. We have a cottage in the woods, don't we? Why don't you two take a honeymoon? You could relax, get to know each other better... have a go at impregnation..."

"I'll go anywhere if it will get us away from you two lunatics."

"Wonderful! Here's the key! Off you go!" Both parents smiled and began waving goodbye. The new couple backed out of the room slowly.

When they reached the hall, Sesshoumaru rounded the corner. He stopped when he saw them and said bluntly, "I got a summons."

"Yes, well... we got married!"

Sesshoumaru did not react.

"Kagome and I."

Nothing.

"Earlier today."

His expression was completely blank.

"We had a wedding where we were wedded and now she's my wife and I'm her husband and we're married. Why are you not reacting at all?"

"...Oh."

"Oh?"

Sesshoumaru cleared his throat and tried again. "Yay."

"Ok, we're leaving."

"Forever?"

"No, just... for a week or so. For our honeymoon."

"Oh..."

"That he reacts to..."

"Nevermind. Let's go." Kagome grabbed Inuyasha's hand and they hurried to his room, stuffing a couple of bags full of his clothing. Kagome insisted that she wouldn't need any of her own. Then Inuyasha swept her up and bounded into the woods. They both enjoyed the feel of his arms around her.

Finally they reached a little stone cottage. It had obviously not been used in a while, as vines had grown up the sides, but it was clean enough and cute in its own way. Inuyasha fiddled with the key and finally managed to open it, swinging the door inwards with gusto. Then he carried Kagome over the threshold and set her down. She looked around at the cozy furniture and fireplace before making a verdict.

"I like it." Then she turned to him, grinning. "I guess we ran away together to the woods after all."

He grinned back and dipped to kiss her. It started tender, but quickly became more passionate as they both reveled in the freedom of affection afforded by the commitment that they had made and the privacy they now shared.

"I love you," he breathed between kisses.

"I love you, too," she murmured. "Help me get out of this dress?"

"Gladly," he smirked.

Then he kicked the door closed and locked it with a loud click.

A/N: Sorry kiddos! You don't get to know anything past that.:)

So I partly wrote this for funsies, but I also partly wrote it to announce that, yes, I will be doing a sequel after all. Somehow I just can't let go of this story. Having it finished and closed has been making me anxious. So I'll be checking in with this couple through the eyes of Sesshoumaru as he embarks on his own adventure about a year later. I've never tried writing from his perspective before, so it should be interesting. Anyway... the first chapter's up! Read and review, my friends. And thanks again for all of your support through the course of this story. I truly could not have done it without you.


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